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.

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.

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.

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.

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.