Lost in the excitement of the Mookie Betts acquisition last winter was the Dodgers tendering a contract to outfielder Joc Pederson. The Dodgers had originally worked out a trade to send him and pitcher Ross Stripling to the Angels, but the deal fell through due to Angel’s owner Art Moreno halting the trade for some unknown reason. So the Dodgers decided to keep Joc for another season, and thankfully they did. Otherwise he would have not been a part of the Dodger’s World Series championship run in 2020.
Pederson has been with the Dodger’s organization for a decade. He made his MLB debut in 2014. He was a highly regarded prospect who won minor league player of the year and Pacific Coast League MVP honors with the Albuquerque Isotopes at the time. If you remember he was a 30/30 player, which was a rare feat, even in the minors.
Joc has had a productive run with the Dodgers over the last 6 years. He’s combined respectable plate discipline with power. He became a valuable postseason hitter as well. He was a good center fielder during his early days, although those days seem to be behind him as he’s now considered to be a corner position man primarily. Joc signed a free-agent contract with the Cubs this winter, and wrote an emotional farewell letter to the Dodgers and the fans. It’s worth a read. We wish Joc the best. I hope he gets to play everyday in Chicago. He’s certainly earned it.
Hard to believe he has been with the Dodgers so long. Many good memories, unfortunately never got the opportunities to play every day. Dodgers unfairly branded him as a one dimensional player and chose to sit him, rather than play him against lefties. It is very hard to defeat your demons when you don’t get a fair chance to face them. Pedersen had outgrown platooning with the Dodgers, and the Cubbies are willing to give him a chance to play every day. Good luck to Joc. I think he will do well with the change of scenery and vote of confidence from his new team. A nice good bye and thank you letter to the fans, from Joc. Worth while to take time to read it.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/joc-pederson-los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-baseball
I no longer have favorites, so I just wish him well. His farewell was heartfelt to say the least. He had some good games and some bad ones. He just never could figure out left handed pitching. Had he done that, he would have been a super star.
Totally agree, Michael. In today’s game, you cannot have favorites. There really is no more Home Team to speak of. Players come and go, freely through a revolving door of a bank. Stats and spreadsheets have turned many players into one dimensional players. Fans have to treat baseball like a game of poker, you just play with the hand you are dealt. Owners have raised the bar so high with salaries that greed has turned players and agents into hungry vultures. Players cannot play for their team or their fans anymore, and in a way you cannot blame them. You can be a one dimensional player, and still make millions. Not bad.
All we can say is thanks for the memories, and move on.