Edwards' love of baseball, teaching youth runs in the family

JUPITER, Fla. – If you can see it, you can be it.

This adage rings true for Marlins switch-hitting shortstop Xavier Edwards, who always considered pursuing a baseball career to be in the realm of possibility.

His father, Jovon Edwards, played six Minor League seasons with three organizations. His mother, Lynette Myers Edwards, showed a young Xavier highlights of Ozzie Smith. The Cardinals Hall of Famer and Phillies great Jimmy Rollins quickly became a couple of Xavier’s favorite players.

“I didn't really understand or grasp the idea that there weren't a lot of Black players in the game at the time,” said Xavier, who was born in New York but moved to South Florida at an early age. “I guess there was more then than there are now.”

In hindsight, Xavier realizes that his upbringing was the exception to the rule.

Despite his background in the game, Jovon credits Lynette for spearheading Xavier’s love of baseball. When Xavier’s older sister Jasmine was on the junior tennis circuit, the family attended all her tournaments. Lynette wanted Xavier to stay involved, so he played both tennis and baseball. By the age of 8, he focused more on the latter.

“I guess the sound of the ball hitting the bat was better than the tennis ball hitting the tennis racket,” Jovon said.

An educator for the past 28 years, Jovon trained Xavier through high school. To this day, father and son work on fielding, hitting and cognitive skills over the offseason. Jovon, who was selected in the fourth round of the 1984 Draft by the Dodgers, taught Xavier everything he absorbed while being around legends like Tommy Lasorda and Lou Brock.

For a handful of years, Jovon even coached travel ball teams in South Florida that featured Edwards, Mets third baseman Mark Vientos, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas and Reds right-hander Lyon Richardson. Jovon also recruited students at the schools he worked at.

“It was always important that we had other kids that looked like me, not just for me, but also for them, to just show each other we could feed off each other,” Xavier said. “We could bounce ideas off each other. We could play together and excel the same way. So I was fortunate enough to have a few, pretty much across the board, on every team I'd been on up to this point.”

After the Padres selected him 38th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of North Broward Prep, Xavier decided to begin his professional career rather than attend Vanderbilt University. Suddenly, he had a platform. Xavier believed it was his responsibility to pay it forward. But how to do so?

Xavier established the Xavier Edwards Baseball Camp, which has grown in each of the last seven years. This past December, Major League friends Vientos, Triston McKenzie, Nick Fortes, Griffin Conine and Jesús Luzardo volunteered to teach 170 kids at Xavier’s alma mater. For a fourth year, a showcase was paired with the free camp, so athletes could be seen by representatives from local colleges.

Both Jovon and Xavier believe that the financial burden of travel ball, which is often necessary to gain exposure, is the primary cause for the dwindling number of Black ballplayers.

“We kind of impressed upon him, ‘You don't have to be a Major League Baseball player to have a major impact on people,’ and that was really where he wanted to set up a camp,” Jovon said. “‘Your parents are going to help you. You have friends that are playing in the big leagues.’ He thought he could make an impact that way – whether he made the big leagues or not – by giving back and by serving.”

It's already making an impact.

Former campers like Jaden Knight (Notre Dame) and Trey Lawrence (Missouri) are competing in college and returning to mentor aspiring ballplayers. Beyond the diamond, the Edwardses steer families towards other free or affordable opportunities. Athletes can receive mentoring, while parents can get educated on events, the scouting process and even The Players Alliance, which is a sponsor of Xavier’s camp.

Jovon also runs I/S Elite Baseball, a showcase and recruiting organization with a focus on high academic commits like his son. Following the high school season and into the fall, 150 student-athletes compete in multiple tournaments. The talent hails from as far north as St. Lucie County and as far south as Miami-Dade County.

“That's what the camp is all about, giving back to the kids and showing them that someone that looks just like that, that came from the same place as you, can do it,” Xavier said. “It's not impossible, it's not unattainable. You can set the goal and you can reach it.

“Me and Triston, people like us, are living examples that you can do it. That's the whole point of the camp, give back and shed some light during a fun time like Christmas, and share some knowledge as well. But also, just letting them know that it's something they can reach and they can do if you set your mind, work hard. It really can be done.”