Just a few days after his trade was called off, Joc Pederson has his role with the Dodgers confirmed. Dave Roberts spoke with media on Thursday to discuss the season ahead and left-field starts were one of the main concerns.
Roberts said Joc Pederson will likely play LF vs. RHP, sharing time with AJ Pollock.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 13, 2020
Joc Pederson has long been a platoon type of player, only getting at-bats against right-handed pitching. When AJ Pollock was brought on, the Dodgers certainly did not ever imagine him being a part-time guy. After all, paying $60 million for a guy that will not play every day is a tough pill to swallow.
But last season, Pollock hit left-handed pitching much better than he has for most of his career. Pollock slashed .323/.370/.535 in 99 at-bats against southpaws in 2019. Pederson, on the other hand, has hit lefties at a .188 mark for his career.
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All of that combined with the acquisition of Mookie Betts means there will be plenty of split time for the two in left. That is assuming that both guys are still on the team when the season starts.
Roberts when on to address a couple of other areas on the roster, including the stacked starting rotation.
Roberts said he has 8 or 9 contenders for the starting rotation.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 13, 2020
With pitchers and catchers reporting this week, it sure is an exciting time to be a Dodger fan.
NEXT: Friedman Calls Pederson Trade Rumors “Awkward”
