Joc Pederson is Already Making History

I think Joc Pederson is going to hit 30 home runs (Duh) this year. He’s already hit 17, and ranks among MLB leaders in home runs, RBI, slugging, OPS, and a slew of other offensive stats. The kid is blossoming into a super star before our very eyes. He’s becoming everything we hoped he would become and then some.

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He started out slow. In 2014, he received a September call-up when rosters expanded. We remember the Dodgers were in the thick of a nail biting ulcer inducing division race with the Giants. Pederson, being thrown into the mix seemed overwhelmed at the plate, and a tad timid. Pederson only collected 4 hits, going 4 for 28 with a .143 average, and a .494 OPS in 38 plate appearances.

His first stint didn’t produce like we had hoped, but the talent was always there. This year he has a .998 OPS in 220 plate appearances. He’s making adjustments. Despite a slow May, in which he batted just .236 (25 for 106), he’s turned it up in June. This month he’s hitting .353 (6 for 17) with four home runs in 20 plate appearances. His hot start has resulted in him homering in six consecutive games. We’re seeing some major maturity at the plate. Even more impressive is his 35 walks, and .393 on-base percentage.

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Our friends at numberFire took a look at how Joc’s rookie season is comparing to some of the best of all time. We could be looking at another incredible Dodger phenom developing into one of the game’s best. According to numberFire, Joc has a 172 wRC+., and a .420 wOBA. I’m not huge into those advanced numbers, but I know that those are insanely good metrics. Joc is one of the most productive hitters in all of Baseball right now.

Not only that, but Pederson plays an incredibly good center field. According to his defensive numbers, he’s already saved 20 runs above league average, and has a +9 total zone runs above average rating in the outfield.

Joc is only 23 years old, and is going to get better and better. The future for the Dodgers is here, and his name is Joc Pederson.