Still young into his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Joc Pederson has gone from being a participant in the Home Run Derby and All-Star starter as a rookie in 2015 to getting demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in the middle of 2017, then nearly becoming the 2017 World Series MVP.
Over the past couple of seasons, he has been a reliable platoon bat in left field and he has rediscovered his power stroke in 2019. Pederson currently has 20 home runs thus far this year, after hitting 25 in all of 2018.
Although he missed out on another All-Star Game appearance despite becoming a Starter’s Election finalist, Pederson will return to the Home Run Derby.
Pederson had a memorable first Derby appearance, advancing to the final round before losing to Todd Fraizer, who was still a member of the host Cincinnati Reds at the time.
Pederson jumped at the opportunity to return to Ohio, where All-Star Week is being held at Progressive Filed Cleveland, and participate in this year’s contest, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I’ve been extremely fortunate to play the game for five years now, and I think the two highlights of my career have been participating in the Home Run Derby in 2015 and playing in the World Series,” Pederson said. “That’s kind of how I thought about it. If someone said, ‘Hey, you want to play in the World Series tomorrow?’ I would say, ‘100 percent.’ Who knows when another opportunity will come to participate, so it kind of seemed like a no-brainer.”
Pederson’s other Home Run Derby appearance was not without some controversy. As he struggled mightily for the Dodgers after the All-Star break, some accused the contest of ruining his swing.
This year, he will face off against Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the first round of the bracket-style derby, with Pederson as the fourth seed and Bregman as the fifth seed.
The winner of that round will go on to face either Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman or Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladamir Gurrero in the semifinals. Chapman was announced as a replacement for MLB home run leader Christian Yelich.
Bregman and Pederson were the last two participants selected for this year’s derby. Dodgers outfielder and All-Star starter Cody Bellinger was invited but declined to participate.
However, Bellinger did indicate he was open to participating in the Home Run Derby in 2020 when All-Star week returns to Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1980.
Bellinger’s 30 home runs trail only Yelich across MLB entering play on Sunday.
