Long Road to St. Paul Saints for Edina's Kris Edwards

Kris Edwards’ path to the St. Paul Saints was one filled with plenty of obstacles.

The 2005 Edina High School graduate overcame two throwing arm injuries, one of which caused him to miss the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and in between he pitched for two college baseball teams in an effort to chase his dream.

Six years later, Edwards signed with the Saints on Monday, July 11, and has made a handful of appearances on the mound—picking up his first win last Thursday at Sioux City.

“It’s been a long path, but good things come to those who wait,” Edwards said. “That’s what my mom kept telling me, and it couldn’t be more true.”

It was a whirlwind week for Edwards, who said he heard little rumblings of opportunities to play baseball after finishing his senior year at the University of St. Thomas this spring. But the Saints called him up, placed him in the bullpen in between games of last Monday’s doubleheader against Winnipeg and had him pitching by Tuesday. His first win came Thursday, July 14, in the Saints’ 13-11 come-from-behind win against the Explorers. Edwards pitched a perfect sixth inning.

It’s a gratifying feeling for Edwards and his family after battling two injuries that threatened his career in college.

Edwards began his college career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he went 4-1 as a freshman. But Edwards was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a pinched blood vessel in his shoulder, which forced him to undergo surgery.

Then, prior to his sophomore season at Whitewater, he felt a pain in his elbow during a fall exhibition game that he’d never felt before.

He was initially advised it would be treatable through rehab, but six months later his arm still did not feel right. A second doctor told him Tommy John Surgery was the only way he’d return to play baseball.

“We told him that, ‘You don’t have to do this,’” his mother, Nikki Edwards, said. “You’ve had a great career—just enjoy what you have. He said, ‘I’ve just got to do this.’ From there, I knew he had the gumption. He’s worked hard.”

Edwards underwent Tommy John Surgery in Los Angeles in June 2007. He transferred to the University of Minnesota to be closer to home during his rehabilitation and, in the summer of 2008, began pitching for the St. Louis Park amateur baseball team.

He tried out for the Gophers baseball team but wasn’t given a guarantee he’d make the team, Nikki Edwards said. 

So Edwards took advice from those around him and transferred to St. Thomas, where he was part of a NCAA Division III national championship team in 2009 and posted a career 13-9 record with a 2.26 earned-run average as both a starter and a reliever. His best season came as a junior, when he went 8-4 and had a 1.87 ERA as the No. 2 starter.

Now, Edwards is starting over again. But this time, he’s healthy and has the confidence to succeed in the American Association.

Perhaps it was his drive to endure and battle injury that helped him achieve his goal. For Edwards, the journey he traveled made it even more rewarding.

“It’s one of those thing—throwing a baseball is like riding a bike, but it’s not so easy if you haven’t been on a bike for two years,” Edwards said. “After those two (injuries), I’m definitely happy to know I made it this far.”