Los Angeles Dodgers‘ centerfielder Joc Pederson has been quietly putting together a solid performance in August. In midst of a pennant race the Dodgers (67-55) sit a half-game behind the first place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
Pederson is hitting .252, with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs this season. His contributions have been largely overshadowed by his teammates Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez, who are having stellar second halves this season.
Seager, has been tearing up the majors as a rookie and has been the most consistent offensive threat in the Dodgers lineup this season. He is hitting .314, with 21 home runs and 57 RBIs. Not to mention, he leads the team with 149 hits. On the other hand, Turner had a slow start but quickly picked it up. He is now hitting .278, with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs, which leads all Dodgers hitters. Gonzalez who is staple on the Dodgers, also had a slow start to the season and now his bat has come to life. He is hitting .297, with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs this season and is now in the middle of his 12 game hitting streak.
Although Pederson does not have quite the numbers that his fellow teammates do, he has excelled in the patience he has shown at the plate. In the month of August, Pederson owns a .441 on-base-percentage, which is the best on the team.
Why does this matter? This matters because this means he gets on base 44.1% of the time, whether it is from a hit or being walked. Pederson has not gotten hits quite as often as his teammates but he has found a way to contribute on offense. It is not to say his bat has gone cold Pederson still boasts a .313 batting average in the month of August.
Having said that, Pederson has not been the flashy power hitter he showed last season but he has managed to play a complementary role to his teammates, which has proven effective in its own right.
