Jeff Edwards, Back In Shape - 458

Jeff Edwards had long since traded in his pitching career for a career in trade-ins, in car sales. But, by spring 1995, the left-hander was getting ready to pitch again, as a replacement Met, according to The New York Times.

He just needed to get back in shape.

"If it's going to happen, I've got to spend a lot of time getting into condition," told The Times that February. "My exercise has pretty much consisted of watching football on TV."

Edwards' road to that point began in 1984, taken by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the draft out of Vanderbilt. Edwards skipped his senior year to sign with Los Angeles.

Edwards pitched that first season at rookie league Great Falls, starting 13 games. His ERA was a respectable 3.55. He spent the next year at single-A Bakersfield, making AA San Antonio in 1986.

At San Antonio, Edwards went 9-10, with an ERA of 3.77. He started 20 games, but appeared in another 13 in relief. His performance was enough to get the attention of Houston. That December, the Astros selected the lefty in the Rule 5 draft.

The Astros envisioned Edwards as possibly the left-handed reliever they didn't have the previous year, according to The New York Times News Service.

By late March, it looked like Edwards might make it. He had a 1.29 ERA, but was also slowed by arm troubles, The Orlando Sentinel wrote. But he didn't make it. By the end of spring training, he was on the disable list. He never would make the majors.

Edwards made a brief return to the Dodgers system before becoming the player to be named later in a trade between the clubs. Between AAA Tucson and Albuquerque and a stop at AA Columbus that year, Edwards went 3-4 with a 4.75 ERA.

His 1988 season amounted to just three games at AA Columbus. Moving on to the Indians system for 1989, Edwards played most of the year at AA Canton. He returned for four games at AAA Colorado Springs in 1990, ending his playing career.

Going into car sales in his hometown of Nashville after he put down his glove, Edwards showed up at the Mets spring training camp in 1995 for replacement ball. His playing career ended for good with the end of the strike.

Speaking to The Times after the strike ended, Edwards felt the $5,000 bonus the players received didn't make up for the work he put in.

"I could have made $8,000 selling cars," Edwards told The Times.

• New York Times, Feb. 2, 1995: Dreams Live Another Day for Players Making Mets' Cut
• New York Times, April 3, 1995: Baseball Owners Quit Fight

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 390/880 - 44.3%
Players/Coaches Featured: 397
Made the Majors: 266 - 67%
Never Made the Majors:131-33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 112
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 101