JUPITER, Fla. -- Bats and gloves are a baseball player’s most important pieces of equipment. When it came time to customize his latest A2000 1785 Wilson glove in December, shortstop Xavier Edwards asked for input from his fiancée Emily, whom he had proposed to in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 23. Xavier and Emily spent around 30 minutes on Wilson’s website choosing everything from the fonts (“milkshake” and “Benton”) to the colors. Like Xavier’s previous gloves, they stuck with gray lacing and trim. “She had a big say in how the glove turned out,” said Xavier, who has used the same model for the past four years. “It was time for me to create one, because I had to put a Wilson order in so I could get it in time for Spring Training. We were sitting on the couch and I was like, ‘You want to help me design gloves?’ She kind of helped me, with some guidance from me and a little pushing. I was like, ‘I don't want that color.’ She was a big part of the process, and now I've got a blue and gray glove.” Unlike Xavier’s other gloves, the leather on the fingers, wrist, thumb and web is blonde. The palm is coal, while the thread color for his initials (“XJE” for Xavier James Edwards) on the thumb strip is Columbia blue. |
“Blue is my favorite color, so I think that had something to do with it,” Xavier said. “And I didn't want any crazy, funky colors. I didn't want a pink glove, which I'm sure she would have loved to do.” Added Emily in a message to MLB.com: “Super fun helping him design his glove, as I usually like to experiment with colors and designs. X is definitely on the more conservative side when it relates to what he’s wearing, so I try to push his boundaries a bit. … As for the color, I initially told him to do a teal color, but we decided on gray so that it wouldn’t clash with any of the uniforms.” Xavier also had the idea to put a special inscription on the ring finger. |
It’s not uncommon for guys to pay tribute to important people in their lives on their gloves. Ace Sandy Alcantara, for example, has “RIP Mom & Lexi" in honor of his late mother, Francisca Montero, and his brother, Alexander (nicknamed "Lexi"). So Xavier and Emily settled on her future initials (“EE”) -- with “:3”, a typographical representation of a heart, in her favorite color pink. “Naturally we entered ‘ER’ [my maiden initials] and then did a little backspace and entered ‘EE’ since we had just gotten engaged and I plan to change my last name,” said Emily, who has been with Xavier for five years. “The ‘:3’ was honestly just a random touch since we frequently use it through text.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
Baseball fans won't have to settle for peanuts and Cracker Jack this season. The Marlins and PepsiCo on Wednesday announced a partnership that will bring some well-known local bites to loanDepot park during the 2025 season. As part of the national Local Eats Deserve Pepsi platform, Pepsi is partnering with six South Florida culinary spots -- CAO Bakery, CHURROMANIA, Dr. Limon, Los Verdes, Sergio’s and another to be named later -- to feature offerings at The Change Up concession stand, located at Section 1 on the Promenade Level. Miami also recently announced that the brew hall near the Home Plate Entrance on the Promenade Level will be known as the Blue Moon Brew Hall, with activations, product availability and branded fixtures. This season, there also will be a Coors Light Chill Zone on the Promenade Level, offering fans a dedicated area with a Coors Light bar, exclusive seating and brandable components. |
The Marlins haven’t shied away from positional versatility this spring. Offseason acquisition Eric Wagaman, who began his professional career as a first baseman in 2017 before adding third base and outfield to his resume six years later, appeared in left for the Marlins for the first time during Monday’s Grapefruit League game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. After spending the first seven innings at the hot corner, Wagaman moved to the outfield for the final two frames. He didn’t have a ball come to him during his time in left. “I had been meaning to go up to [manager Clayton McCullough] and ask, just because I got comfortable playing out there last year and I just wanted to kind of keep options open,” Wagaman said. “Whatever they need to do during the season. They let me know the day before, and then I went out there to practice, got my feet under me, and saw the balls off the machine and the bat and stuff. So that's how that happened.” In 2024, Wagaman played three games in left and 39 in right for the Angels’ Minor League affiliates. During his 18-game stint with the MLB club, he recorded a two-inning appearance in left. “I played mostly right last year, so I was definitely super comfortable over there,” Wagaman said. “It's kind of the same thing [in left], but the opposite as far as lefties and righties. That sun and wind [Monday] was crazy. We saw even towards the end of the game there was like three or four balls that people were struggling [with] out there.” |
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
To subscribe to Marlins Beat, visit this page and mark "Marlins Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Marlins or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
Please review our Privacy Policy.
You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB.
Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.
Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
|
|
|
|
