5 former players the Dodgers missed most during latest failed championship run

Joc Pederson

All Pederson did during his tenure with the Dodgers was drill massive postseason homers and admire them.

When he left Los Angeles for Chicago (and then Atlanta), he specifically did it over and over again during the 2021 postseason to torture the Dodgers with pearls on; not surprisingly, Pederson's Bravos slid past LA that fall.

Since then, he's "found a home" (we refuse to believe it) in San Francisco, hitting 23 bombs, making the All-Star team, and finishing with a 146 OPS+ in 2022. This past season, he took a step back, only finishing 11% above average offensively. Dang. Brutal.

But Pederson's regular seasons rarely told the story of his postseasons, as the Dodgers legend lit up when the lights were brightest. .333 with three bombs in the 2017 World Series. .400, .389, and .400 during the 2020 run. .267 with a blast during the ill-fated 2019 NLDS. October magic doesn't always work, but ... when it works this often, that qualifies. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me David Peralta was a better call in big spots this past week.