NEW YORK — As May turned to June, the
Matt Kemp's hamstring had given out on him. The Dodgers liked
Joc Pederson, the Dodgers' highly regarded double-A center fielder, appeared to be next in line.
"Everyone texts you, wondering what's happening," Pederson said.
This is what happened: The Dodgers moved
Pederson, 21, still awaits his major league debut, but he represented the Dodgers in the
Pederson also showed off power in batting practice and a strong arm in the game, and rest assured the flock of scouts took note. With Puig, Ethier,
That makes Pederson logical trade bait. He is batting .296 with 14 home runs at double-A Chattanooga, and he leads the Southern League with a .516 slugging percentage. His splits offer some concern: the left-handed Pederson has a .202 batting average and .549 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against left-handers, a .338 batting average and 1.059 OPS against right-handers.
Dodgers General Manager
"He has above average baseball acumen to go along with talent," Colletti said. "He's a hard worker who not only aspires to be a big league player but works at it daily."
Pederson said he has "no idea" whether the Dodgers would trade him.
"I'm just going to live in the moment," he said. "That's out of my control."
He said he was playing with the knowledge that all 30 teams would be watching him, not just the Dodgers.
"I'm just trying to make myself the best I can possibly be," Pederson said. "Wherever I end up, I end up."
Pederson said he was "absolutely not" disappointed that the Dodgers had not called him up instead of Puig.
"They were doing what was going to help the team the best," Pederson said. "He's doing great. The Dodgers are doing great. That's what matters.
"His talent is unbelievable. He brings a great energy to the team. He does everything so good. Every day, you were being wowed with something."
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