The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Joc Pederson was among the players to agree to a one-year contract and avoid arbitration. The group also comprised of Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, Yasmani Grandal, Kiké Hernandez and Alex Wood.
In 323 plate appearances across 102 regular season games, Pederson hit .212/.331/.407 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs and 35 RBI. It was a down year for him, as Pederson posted career-lows in nearly every statistical category since becoming an everyday player in 2015.
He was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City following the acquisition of Curtis Granderson in August, but eventually made his way back to Los Angeles the ensuing month.
With the emergence of Chris Taylor in center field, Pederson received some reps in left field for the first time since the 2014 season. Though on the season, Pederson still spent the majority of his time in center field, where he committed just one error in 655.2 defensive innings.
After initially being left off the National League Division Series roster, Pederson was added for the NL Championship Series and took advantage of his newfound opportunity.
His offensive impact was then felt in the World Series against the Houston Astros, where he batted .333/.400/.944 with two doubles, three home runs and five RBI across 20 plate appearances.
Pederson heads into this season somewhat of an unknown. The Dodgers have made it clear they prefer Taylor in center field, which in theory puts Pederson in left field. However, Matt Kemp remains on the roster and Andrew Toles is expected to be fully recovered from ACL surgery by Opening Day.
