Kroner's Corner Vol. 16: The Magic of Eddie Madrigal
4/13/2025 8:25:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - Leading off the bottom of the second inning in the season opener against Saint Louis on Feb. 14, Saint Mary's first baseman Eddie Madrigal jumped on a 2-2 pitch from right-hander Owen Kelly and deposited it over the right-field wall. The left-handed hitter's home run produced the rare moment that provided a preview of things to come and a link to the past.
Madrigal has been one of the WCC's best hitters in 2025. Through Wednesday, he led the conference in slugging percentage (.679) and OPS (1.134), was second in homers (nine) and ranked sixth in batting average (.358). As for the connection to the past, here's Madrigal's recollection of that HR: "I didn't even know where I hit it. I just started running. And then I saw the umpire say it was a home run."
"I got back to the dugout and one of my teammates said, 'Oh, consecutive at-bats with a home run.' And I said, 'Oh, wait. Yeah, you're right.' "
Those home runs had come nearly a year apart. On Feb. 25, 2024, Madrigal delivered a pinch-hit, solo shot in the eighth inning to tie Utah Valley 7-7 in a game that Saint Mary's would win 8-7 in 10 innings.
Madrigal's recollection of that homer involves the Gaels' typical HR celebration near their dugout. "I was a little pumped up, a little too pumped up, I guess you could say," Madrigal said. "I did it, landed weird and got hurt. That was about it."
Sadly, that was it for Madrigal's season. He suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery.
"I was probably a little upset the first few weeks about it," Madrigal said, "but after that, it was a complete mindset switch. Just getting back healthy and then coming back this year and getting ready to play."
Making Madrigal's comeback that much more impressive is the fact he endured a serious injury to his other knee that forced him to redshirt as a freshman in 2022. Madrigal's approach to his rehab impressed SMC head coach Eric Valenzuela.
"He's had a couple of injuries now," Valenzuela said, "and it could be, 'Well, is this my time? Is this my time to say it's not in the books for me? Maybe I should just focus on the academic side of things and my career after baseball.' Or, you can do what he did and just get to work."
Said Madrigal: "Everything happens for a reason. It's not, 'Why is this happening to me?' It's happening for a reason and all you can do is get yourself better and just rehab and get back to where you were."
At least statistically, Madrigal has gotten back to much better than where he was. Over a combined 66 at-bats in 2023 and '24, he had 17 hits (.258 average) with two homers.
"I'm just grateful to be playing," Madrigal said. "I'm just playing to have fun."
Valenzuela believes Madrigal's success this season stems from the adage about preparation meeting opportunity.
"Knowing that he's going to be" in the lineup, Valenzuela said, "and giving him the at-bats regardless of the result, that's played a major factor."
Listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Madrigal has become a well-rounded hitter.
"He's a fun player to watch," Valenzuela said, "because I think at any moment – it doesn't matter what the count is, what the at-bat is, who's on the mound, righty or lefty – he can put together a great AB and he can lose one into those trees (beyond the right-field wall).
"But not only that … he can get a two-strike fastball off the plate away from a right-handed pitcher and hit it the other way for a base hit."
The knee injuries have forced Madrigal to switch from playing catcher to becoming mainly a first baseman and occasionally an outfielder.
"He's worked really hard to make himself an adequate first baseman for us," Valenzuela said, "and it hasn't taken away from his at-bats and the way he has been offensively."
The Madrigal name should be familiar to baseball fans in general and SMC fans in particular. Eddie's cousin Ty, a left-handed pitcher, spent parts of five seasons (2016-20) with the Gaels and has pitched in the minor leagues and in Mexico.
The Chicago White Sox selected another cousin, Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, with the fourth pick in the 2018 draft. After spending two seasons (2020-21) in the majors with the White Sox and three (2022-24) with the Cubs, Nick signed with the Mets in January. He likely will miss this entire season with a shoulder injury he suffered early in spring training.
The Madrigals are from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove. Eddie said his cousins have been a resource for him for a long time. "Just growing up, always talking with them, hanging out with them, practicing with them," Eddie said. "They've always helped and been there."
And now that Madrigal has overcome a second serious knee injury to buoy a Saint Mary's team that has 17 freshmen and six sophomores on its roster, Valenzuela appreciates Madrigal's production and the example he sets for younger players.
"The great thing about him is regardless of the result or how he played that day -- offensively, defensively, it doesn't matter – he's always positive," Valenzuela said. "You can never tell if it's going really good or it's going really bad, which, I think … really helps our young guys in how you're supposed to go about your business."
#GaelsRise
Madrigal has been one of the WCC's best hitters in 2025. Through Wednesday, he led the conference in slugging percentage (.679) and OPS (1.134), was second in homers (nine) and ranked sixth in batting average (.358). As for the connection to the past, here's Madrigal's recollection of that HR: "I didn't even know where I hit it. I just started running. And then I saw the umpire say it was a home run."
"I got back to the dugout and one of my teammates said, 'Oh, consecutive at-bats with a home run.' And I said, 'Oh, wait. Yeah, you're right.' "
Those home runs had come nearly a year apart. On Feb. 25, 2024, Madrigal delivered a pinch-hit, solo shot in the eighth inning to tie Utah Valley 7-7 in a game that Saint Mary's would win 8-7 in 10 innings.
Madrigal's recollection of that homer involves the Gaels' typical HR celebration near their dugout. "I was a little pumped up, a little too pumped up, I guess you could say," Madrigal said. "I did it, landed weird and got hurt. That was about it."
Sadly, that was it for Madrigal's season. He suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery.
"I was probably a little upset the first few weeks about it," Madrigal said, "but after that, it was a complete mindset switch. Just getting back healthy and then coming back this year and getting ready to play."
Making Madrigal's comeback that much more impressive is the fact he endured a serious injury to his other knee that forced him to redshirt as a freshman in 2022. Madrigal's approach to his rehab impressed SMC head coach Eric Valenzuela.
"He's had a couple of injuries now," Valenzuela said, "and it could be, 'Well, is this my time? Is this my time to say it's not in the books for me? Maybe I should just focus on the academic side of things and my career after baseball.' Or, you can do what he did and just get to work."
Said Madrigal: "Everything happens for a reason. It's not, 'Why is this happening to me?' It's happening for a reason and all you can do is get yourself better and just rehab and get back to where you were."
At least statistically, Madrigal has gotten back to much better than where he was. Over a combined 66 at-bats in 2023 and '24, he had 17 hits (.258 average) with two homers.
"I'm just grateful to be playing," Madrigal said. "I'm just playing to have fun."
Valenzuela believes Madrigal's success this season stems from the adage about preparation meeting opportunity.
"Knowing that he's going to be" in the lineup, Valenzuela said, "and giving him the at-bats regardless of the result, that's played a major factor."
Listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Madrigal has become a well-rounded hitter.
"He's a fun player to watch," Valenzuela said, "because I think at any moment – it doesn't matter what the count is, what the at-bat is, who's on the mound, righty or lefty – he can put together a great AB and he can lose one into those trees (beyond the right-field wall).
"But not only that … he can get a two-strike fastball off the plate away from a right-handed pitcher and hit it the other way for a base hit."
The knee injuries have forced Madrigal to switch from playing catcher to becoming mainly a first baseman and occasionally an outfielder.
"He's worked really hard to make himself an adequate first baseman for us," Valenzuela said, "and it hasn't taken away from his at-bats and the way he has been offensively."
The Madrigal name should be familiar to baseball fans in general and SMC fans in particular. Eddie's cousin Ty, a left-handed pitcher, spent parts of five seasons (2016-20) with the Gaels and has pitched in the minor leagues and in Mexico.
The Chicago White Sox selected another cousin, Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, with the fourth pick in the 2018 draft. After spending two seasons (2020-21) in the majors with the White Sox and three (2022-24) with the Cubs, Nick signed with the Mets in January. He likely will miss this entire season with a shoulder injury he suffered early in spring training.
The Madrigals are from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove. Eddie said his cousins have been a resource for him for a long time. "Just growing up, always talking with them, hanging out with them, practicing with them," Eddie said. "They've always helped and been there."
And now that Madrigal has overcome a second serious knee injury to buoy a Saint Mary's team that has 17 freshmen and six sophomores on its roster, Valenzuela appreciates Madrigal's production and the example he sets for younger players.
"The great thing about him is regardless of the result or how he played that day -- offensively, defensively, it doesn't matter – he's always positive," Valenzuela said. "You can never tell if it's going really good or it's going really bad, which, I think … really helps our young guys in how you're supposed to go about your business."
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
1B/OF
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