Fantasy Profile: Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether it’s keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

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FANTASY PROFILE: JOC PEDERSON, OF, LOS ANGELES DODGERS

LWOS Ranking 43, Captains’ Value: $15.37

Logjam (noun)-a crowded mass of logs blocking a river or a situation that seems irresolvable. Yep, you could use that word to describe the Los Angeles Dodgers outfield situation last year, as Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke, and Andre Ethier dominated the majority of playing time. Young Phenom Joc Pederson tore it up in the high minors, especially last year in AAA Albuquerque, where he had a slash line of .303/.435/.582 and became only the fourth person in the history of the Pacific Coast League to have a 30/30 season (HR/SB). I will note that the PCL is notoriously hitter friendly league but it’s still an impressive line. Pederson was ready for The Show, he just had to have patience until a spot opened up.

Pederson was awarded 38 plate appearances late in the 2014 season once the rosters expanded from 25 to 40 players and there was mixed results. It was a small sample size but the .143 AVG was disappointing, as was the 11 strikeouts. But he did have 9 walks resulting in a .351 OBP. If Pederson can’t cut down on the swing and misses, he did carry a below average K rate in AA (22%) and AAA (26.9%), than you probably can’t expect an average above .250-.260. Power and speed should not be an issue with Pederson though, and 20+ HR and 20+ SB from him would make you overlook the AVG.

2015 is a new year and with the trade of Matt Kemp to San Diego, CF is open for Joc Pederson to take over. An ADP of 190 has Pederson, in my opinion, as a solid mid-late round option with the talent to end the season as a top 50 fantasy player.

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