Facing a numbers crunch, the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to keep Joc Pederson on the Opening Day roster to begin the season. He was selected ahead of Trayce Thompson and Andrew Toles, with the former getting designated for assignment and the latter sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Toles had a better showing than Pederson in Spring Training, but Pederson’s Major League experience and defensive ability were a big factor in the decision to keep him on the active roster. Although he’s the team’s fourth outfielder, Pederson may be looking to expand to his defensive versatility.
One noticeable aspect for anyone that was at Camelback Ranch and watched the Dodgers practice this spring was the frequency with which Pederson would take ground balls at first base. He nonetheless told DodgerBlue.com it was solely for work on his hand-eye coordination.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts likes that Pederson is looking to improve in that area and though playing first base isn’t on the horizon, it’s not a possibility that can be completely ruled out, via SportsNet LA:
“In the near future, no. But I think that it’s good for Joc to work on his footwork, his hands. That’s something that he detected himself and wanted to continue to improve his skill set and versatility. To think he’s going to be in a Major League game soon? Probably not. But you never know at some point in the future. But I applaud Joc for the work.”
Cody Bellinger is of course the Dodgers’ unquestioned everyday first baseman, with Chase Utley, Kyle Farmer, Logan Forsythe and even Kiké Hernandez all having the ability to play the position if needed.
Pederson didn’t receive a start until the fourth game of the season, then earned another Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he was in center field and batting leadoff. Pederson responded by going 2-for-7, collecting his first hit and RBI of the year.
