Red Sox Mookie Betts Or Dodgers Joc Pederson More Valuable?

Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League outfielder Joc Pederson (31) of the Los Angeles Dodgers at bat during the 2015 Home Run Derby the day before the MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Option #1 – Joc Pederson

Bio:

• Born April 21, 1992 (23 years old) in Palo Alto, California
• Plays outfield
• Bats left; throws left
• 6’1″, 215 lbs.
• Drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round in 2010 out of high school
• Prospect Ranking Pre-2015: Baseball America – #8, MLB.com – #13, BaseballProspectus.com – #18

Finances:

• Controlled through 2020, with no guaranteed dollars
• Arbitration eligible in 2018
• Free agent in 2021
• 2015 pay: one year / $510 thousand

Stats:

• Hit a slash line of .230/.364/.487 in 300 at-bats & 366 plate appearances
• Played 89 games for the Dodgers before the All-Star Break
• Has 15 doubles, 1 triple, 20 home runs, 40 RBIs
• Stolen 2 bases; caught stealing 5 times
• Leads the National League with 107 strikeouts; 4th place in MLB
• Fielding % – .989 in center field, with 2 errors
• Defensive runs saved above average – 1 run

Intangibles:

• The kid’s a beast at the plate, without question. At the 2015 Home Run Derby, his power was on display for all to see. Pederson drove the ball with relative ease in the first round, knocking out big-name veterans like Manny Machado and Albert Pujols. He eventually lost to Todd Frazier, but only lost by one homer as Pederson hit 14 long balls over the fences. His power was to all fields, spreading the wealth around. Teams always love power and, as Cameron states, “there is certainly an argument for Pederson, especially given the premium teams have historically paid for power; it is the commodity most often overpaid for in free agency.”

• Pederson’s marketability is also as big as ever after the Home Run Derby. Forget the aforementioned birth in the final for a minute. Just think: a rookie just took out Pujols. This rookie did it with a trendy haircut and fresh face for the baseball-loving public and the non-baseball fanatics, alike. How many men and women would have seen the Derby who are not big fans of baseball but had a casual interest in checking out the All-Star festivities? All of those people saw Pederson’s look, the tender moments with his brother, and his strong arms belting out long balls. Those people may now become Pederson fans and, therefore, become fans of whatever team he plays for, which the Dodgers must be very happy about right now. If you don’t believe that, check this tweet from Dodgers owner Ervin ‘Magic’ Johnson:

• Pederson’s strikeouts are an issue in the future. How many times did a game’s outcome change because of his eagerness to make an impact? That power is great as long as he hits the ball. Having a .230 batting average likely means that he isn’t doing that as often as the Dodgers would like.