Dodgers: Joc Pederson's Journey Back to the Home Run Derby

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 04: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves during Game One of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

It’s been a long journey for Dodgers’ slugger Joc Pederson between his 2015 Derby debut and his return to the Derby in 2019. Tonight he will look to win the HR derby.

It’s 2019 and Joc Pederson is back in the Home Run Derby. It may seem obvious to many Dodger fans that he should be in based on his powerful stroke this season, but just think back to just last season at the All-Star break, or two seasons ago, or three and you’ll realize just how improbable his return to the Derby really is.

It’s been four years since “Joc Pop” was the Dodgers representative in the Home Run Derby for the 2015 All-Star Weekend. And he put on a show. Pederson lost in the finals on a walk-off of sorts by the hometown hero Todd Frazier, but only after blasting 14 home runs in a single round and finishing neck and neck with one of the game’s premier power hitters at the time in Frazer.

Over those four years a lot has happened to Pederson’s perception and performance, so to honor our beloved Pederson’s return to the Derby, I decided to dive into his career’s ups and downs to demonstrate just how much the baby-faced slugger has overcome.

CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 13: National League All-Star Joc Pederson #31 Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders at the Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

2015: The Rookie of the Y̶e̶a̶r̶ First Half

We all remember the Joc Pederson allure from when he first got called up to the big league club. The front office turned down any and all deals regarding Pederson, even if the return would have been a star like left-handed ace Cole Hamels.

He followed up his break out Double-A season in 2013 (22 homers and 26 steals), with a massive 2014 campaign at Triple-A, winning the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year with his 33 home run, 30 steal season.

And just like Yasiel Puig, Pederson was electric right when he came up to the majors.

In his first 20 games as a Dodger in March and April of 2015, the 6’1 lefty mashed .298/.461/.596 with 5 doubles, 4 home runs, and 17 walks. He was looking like the future four-hitter in what was a stacked Dodgers lineup at the time.

He did more than live up to this hype in May and June. At least in the power production department. In May, Pederson popped 9 more dingers but struck out a staggering 37 times in 123 plate appearances. In June, more of the same, as the suddenly average-less Pederson struck out 35 times while mashing 7 more home runs.

When it was all said and done, Pederson’s 20 first-half home runs were more than enough to power him into the Home Run Derby, representing the National League as a 2015 All-Star. And he didn’t disappoint. Pederson swatted more home runs than all of his opponents in the Derby until the final round, in which he suffered a defeat at the hands of Todd Frazier.

His first half numbers were no doubt impressive both on the good and bad ends of the spectrum, especially for a rookie: 15 doubles, 20 home runs, and 107 punchouts to go along with a .230 batting average.

But despite his early success, his May and June struggle to get hits would be exacerbated through the dog days of summer. In 61 second-half games, Pederson limped to the finish line with a .178 batting average with just 6 home runs and 4 doubles while striking out more than once per game on average (63 strikeouts in 61 games).

This historic collapse would prove costly, as Pederson would receive only 1 NL Rookie of the Year vote, losing unanimously to the Cubs’ Kris Bryant, and these same struggles would continue for much of the next two seasons.

DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 30: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a 2 RBI single in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 30, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

2016–2017: He Gets Knocked Down, Gets Back Up, and Gets Knocked Down Yet Again

Joc started the 2016 season off fairly well, especially in comparison to his 2015 season’s end. He hit .266 with 3 home runs to begin his season, and unlike 2016, he would actually have two months in which he hit for a higher average than his March/April average.

But the road to his decent season was not a straight one, but actually, one that improved with time. After hitting .236 with 13 home runs in the first half, Pederson’s scorching September (.286 with 7 home runs) lifted his second-half numbers to total 12 home runs with a .260 average.

At the end of 2016, he finished the season with 25 home runs and a .246 average in 137 games (he battled injury in July), a marked improvement from his 2015 second-half.

Joc Pop’s first half of 2017 did not go quite as well as his 2016 campaign though. Across 35 games Pederson hit only 2 home runs in what was becoming a more concrete role for the former All-Star: platoon bat.

But June Gloom brought redemption for the struggling Pederson in 2017, as he hit .304 with 6 home runs in 18 June games before hitting .264 with 3 homers in July. But coming out of the All-Star break he struggled yet again, even more so than he did early on in the season hitting .156 with 2 home runs in 28 games after the break.

On August 19, 2017, he was sent down. The former so-called savior of the franchise, the beloved home run hitting Pederson was sent down, a la the demotion of Yasiel Puig, but not for personality flaws, but for performance issues.

Upon returning, Joc hit poorly still, lacking power and not earning the consistent playing time he needed to really regain his stroke in September. He was left off the NLDS roster. But he was added to the NLCS roster against the Cubs, going 1-5 with a double across 3 games played in that series.

And somehow that was enough to make the World Series roster, thanks mostly to ineffectiveness and injury in other parts of the lineup.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 21: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 21, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

2017 World Series–2019: The Comeback Kid

Upon making the 2017 World Series roster, Pederson could not have expected to be asked to play a major role after seeing only 5 ABs in the NLCS and after being left off of the NLDS roster entirely. Yet Pederson ended up coming up with one of the key images of what was a disappointing series for the Dodgers and performing well overall.

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After sitting in Game 1, Pederson collected one hit in each game for the rest of the series, including home runs in Game 2, Game 4, and Game 7, with the Game 4 and Game 6 homers helping extend the series for the Dodgers.

And with those home runs, Pederson placed himself firmly back within the good graces of Dodgers fans and management for the 2018 season, something Pederson took advantage of.

In 2018, Pederson finished up with his most games played, 148, since his rookie year, with 25 home runs and a .248 average, similar to his 25 home run, .246 average season in 2016. It was a big rebound for Joc, securing his role on the Dodgers as a fixture in the lineup against any righty foolish enough to throw him a fastball near the plate.

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All that brings us to 2019, a season in which Pederson has thrived in the same platoon role, knocking 20 home runs in the first half (sound familiar? cough cough *2015 first half* cough), with his .241/.336/.525 triple-slash line nearly earning him a bid back to the All-Star game.

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Dodgers: Joc Pederson’s Journey Back to the Home Run Derby

It’s been a long journey for Dodgers’ slugger Joc Pederson between his 2015 Derby debut and his return to the Derby in 2019. Tonight he will look to win the HR derby.

More from Dodgers History

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