The countdown has begun, kids. Opening Night (well, American Opening Night) is fast approaching as the Dodgers take on the Padres down in San Diego on March 30th. Leading up until then, MAMBINO will tackle 20 of the most important–and some not so important–questions that will get you set up for a season of almost unparalleled expectations. Let’s get it going:
Is Joc Pederson really going to be the outfielder of the future?
For those of you that may be hideously uninformed, or for those of you that have actual lives and don’t have time to pay attention to this type of stuff, Joc Pederson is the Dodgers’s top position prospect in their minor league system. At 6’1″ and 185 lbs, Pederson is supposedly a “five tool” player, meaning there’s just about nothing he can’t do.
Last year in Double-A, the almost 22 year-old hit .278 with a .878 OPS, 22 homers, 31 stolen bases in 519 plate appearances. With 78 walks (but 114 strikeouts), Pederson at least has the ability to be an on-base machine in the mold of Shin-Soo Choo with a rare combination of speed and power. No, he’s not going to be the National League version of Mike Trout or anything, but he could very well be a borderline All-Star. Like any 22 year-old prospect, he could be the outfielder of the future, but he’ll need to prove himself for at least another half year in Double-A and then perhaps for a bit longer in Triple-A. From what little I’ve seen in Pederson throughout training camp, he’s still got fairly large holes in his swing that have been easily exploited by big league pitching. Athletically, I don’t have much doubt he could handle himself in the field–it’s really all about his bat at this point.… Read more...
