The Joc Pederson Show
Evidently, there are worse things than not being able to hit LH pitching. Many of us on this blog were growing weary of Joc s two steps back after his one step forward. Well, last night, Joc hit his 22nd and 23rd HR, as the Dodgers leadoff hitter and is currently OPS ing .843. So that we don t forget, here is how most baseball people rank OPS: Rating OPS Excellent 1.000 Great
Evidently, there are worse things than not being able to hit LH pitching. Many of us on this blog were growing weary of Joc’s two steps back after his one step forward. Well, last night, Joc hit his 22nd and 23rd HR, as the Dodgers leadoff hitter and is currently OPS’ing .843. So that we don’t forget, here is how most baseball people rank OPS:
| Rating | OPS |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 1.000 |
| Great | 0.900 |
| Above Average | 0.800 |
| Average | 0.710 |
| Below Average | 0.670 |
| Poor | 0.600 |
| Awful | 0.570 |
Currently, this is the OPS leader board for the Dodgers:
- Freese – 1.244 (only 18 AB’s)
- Muncy – .965
- Turner – .954
- Pederson – .843
- Puig – .833
- Bellinger – .816
- Machado – .810
- Kemp – .801
- Grandal – .767
- Taylor – .766
- Hernandez – .766
Joc is poised to put up career numbers in HomeRuns this year, and in 415 plate appearances, he has only struck out 74 times. He is walking less as well. It appears that he is looking for a pitch to hit, instead of looking to take a walk like he did earlier in his career (Chris Taylor take note!). In his first year, he walked 15.7% of the time. In his second year, it was 13.2% and this year it is just 8.9%. Conversely, his strikeouts have dropped over that same time from 29% to 27 % to 17.8% this year. He only has 55 plate appearances against LHP and he still can’t hit them (.173 BA/.200 OB%/.508 OPS), but since there are a lot more RHP, he has shown that LF belongs to him against righties. For those who wonder why Matt Kemp isn’t playing against RHP, see above. You have no argument!
Joc has exceeded my expectations and I am happy to eat crow and say I was wrong. Bums is serving it up well done as we speak!
Rants & Raves
- The Dodgers could sure do worse than have Kike Hernandez as the starting 2B. He actually has more AB’s against RHP than LHP.
- Ryu was exceptional last night in a very big game. No doubt he belongs in the rotation.
- Is this just an adjustment for Alex Wood or is he genuinely upset at going to the pen? Or is he hurt? Alex is a good guy, but this will be interesting…
- Doc wasted no time in getting Axford, Garcia and Cingrani back into action.
- A gem by Kershaw tonight might just kill the Rox. The D-Bags are on life support as the cream rises to the top.
- The Dodgers hitters now lead the league by 16 in runs scored and have given up the fewest runs by 15. Maybe this is where the run differential evens out.
- That Dave Roberts sure is a smart guy!
Photo Credit; The Sporting News/Getty Images
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Discussion (80)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Last time I was in SF, I saw Charlie Blackmon, homeless in the BART station defecating on the sidewalk. I swear it was him… looked just like him.
I”m going to assume that barring injury to 2-3 guys, Brian Dozier won’t be on the playoff roster (in any round). And if that’s the case, why even play him now? Kike can play 2b vs a leftie, and Puig can give us better D in right and a better bat than Dozier!
I am unclear why doZier is in there over Puig or Bellinger
Kershaw typical big game
Ok, how the hell did we score a run in that inning???
Was that the last time Kershaw was on the mound in LA in a Dodger uniform??
Good game by Kershaw one earned. I don’t know how he is doing it with a 86-7 mile per hour fastball. Come on Dodgers we need this one.
Kenta was throwing darts out there… and only 10 pitches. I think you gotta keep him in there for the 9th
Nice win. CT3 definitely swinging better overall, which is a great sign for October
There it is! Good for CT3! Great job by the pen. Smoke and mirrors against a slumping team by Clayton.
Like I always say, Chris Taylor, greatest player in the game. 🙂
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We needed that. Before the series started I would have been satisfied with 2 out of 3. No longer.
Magic Number down to 10?
Another great win. Hope you and your son enjoyed it Pete.
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CK managed to find a way, but I don’t see anyone paying him a Kings Ransom for a long term deal.
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Now for Walker to put the hammer down.
We Love It!
Rockies stopped hitting when they boarded the plane for SF. I like their chances tomorrow with Buehler taking on Anderson for the sweep. Kershaw showed guts and gumption battling their Ace. CT3’s HR was launched!
Great win, Puig was not in the dugout all night any update on why?
I’m too old for this stuff and of course I didn’t leave until the fat lady sang as I’ve always preached to my kids… Thank God I had my son as a driver…
Watford my man from across the pond, thanks for thinking of us…
I’m not big on the ‘team chemistry’ mantra but for right now we are playing as a team and EVERYONE is doing their job…
Ain’t no stopping us now!!!
There are similarities between deGrom and Gonsolin.
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Long before Jacob deGrom became a Cy Young contender, he was an unheralded ninth-round draft choice for the Mets in 2010 who wasn’t even used as a starting pitcher until near the end of his final year at Stetson University. Tony
Gonsolin | Rank: 14 (Preseason: 24)
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Copied from Dodgers.com top 30 prospects snippets.
Team: Tulsa Drillers (AA) ETA: 2019
Position: RHP Age: 24 DOB: 05/14/1994
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6’ 2″ Weight: 180 lb.
Drafted: 2016, 9th (281) – LAD
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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Splitter: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
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A two-way standout at St. Mary’s, Gonsolin led the Gaels in hitting (.308) as a sophomore, steals (12) and saves (seven) as a junior and saves again (six) as a senior. The Dodgers liked his tools as an outfielder but preferred him on the mound, putting him there full-time after signing him for $2,500 as a ninth-rounder in 2016. Concentrating on pitching paid off as his stuff took a dramatic leap in his first full year as a pro.
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Gonsolin opened 2017 with an 89-92 mph fastball, boosted it to 90-94 in May, started working in the mid-90s in August and touched 100 mph by season’s end. Los Angeles moved him from the bullpen to the rotation in 2018, and he has operated at 93-97 mph and maintained his velocity deep into his starts. His secondary pitches also have gained power and he now has an upper-80s splitter that bottoms out at the plate, a low-80s curveball that can be a hammer at times and a mid-80s slider.
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The athleticism that served Gonsolin well as a position player also helps him find the strike zone on a regular basis. Los Angeles originally planned on developing him as a multi-inning reliever this year but couldn’t ignore the fact that he has all the ingredients to become a mid-rotation starter. He has contended for the Minor League strikeout lead and advanced to Double-A in July.
Last night felt like last year…..are we peaking at the right time? I hope so.
Puig’s home was robbed last night. Do not know anymore.
I cannot believe Kershaw will opted out. He is not the same pitcher we have known. He pitched a good game, but it was on guts and determination. He can be good for the next 4-5 years, but not dominant.