Los Angeles Dodgers: Joc Pederson mashes at Home Run Derby
The rookie nearly stole the show in Cincinnati
Todd Frazier's Home Run Derby victory on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park is a great story; the hometown hero rose to the occasion in every round, and needed 15 home runs in the final 4:30 to take the crown, slamming homer after homer to the rabid delight of the Cincinnati crowd.
But Dodgers rookie slugger Joc Pederson nearly stole the show and surprised many in the process. Pederson hit 39 home runs in the three rounds of the newly-formatted derby, his longest traveling 489 feet, also the longest of the tournament.
Pederson's showing was a microcosm of his impressive first half of the season in the slugging department -- though he's only batting .230, he already has 20 home runs and an .851 OPS.
And what he did on Tuesday night left spectators craving more in future home run contests.
Not exactly the format you'd think Pederson would do well with
In the first half of the season, Pederson's home runs averaged a distance of 430.5 feet. That figure is 10 feet further than the slugger in second place on the list, the Mets' Lucas Duda.
What that would indicate is that Pederson generally hits mammoth drives that take a while to actually land in the seats. Trouble with those types of home runs in the new derby format, is that under the timed conditions, the pitcher is not allowed to release the next offering to the hitter until the ball has hit the ground.
Surprisingly, this really wasn't an issue for Pederson because so many of his swings resulted in home runs, somewhat negating the issue of having to wait for the prior ball to land before taking the next cut.
Crowd factor aside, Pederson was the most fun to watch
The sheer power behind Pederson's blasts at GABP was breathtaking. Judging by the show he put on, baseball fans will be waiting with bated breath for him to step to the plate in the next home run contest.
Pederson at one point blasted five home runs on five consecutive swings, making you wonder whether he might reel off eight or nine straight. Or more.
Before Frazier's final-round magic, it looked as though Pederson's 14 homers might be enough to take home the trophy.
Of special note to Dodgers fans, Pederson more than acquitted himself well under the bright lights of the home run derby, something that Dodgers in the past have had real trouble with.
None more so than former Dodgers great Mike Piazza, who put up back-to-back goose eggs in the only two years he participated in the contest, 1993 and 1994.
Raul Mondesi also competed in the event, hitting two in 1995.
Hee-Seop Choi hit five 2005 and Matt Kemp hit a total of three between his participation in 2011 and 2012. Yasiel Puig joined Piazza's company by failing to hit a homer in last season's derby in Minnesota.
While the format is different now, hitting 39 home runs when franchise history prior to that effort featured a total of 10 is quite an accomplishment.
Frazier has established himself as one of the premier home run-hitting stars in MLB, but based on how he handled the pressures of hitting home runs on the biggest of stages on Tuesday night, Pederson has a very bright future when it comes to future contests.
He's proven that the format works for him, and with his ability to hit so many balls more than 425 feet -- thereby getting the additional 30 seconds of bonus time -- he could be a perennial derby winner in the years to come.
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Todd Frazier's Home Run Derby victory on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park is a great story; the hometown hero rose to the occasion in every round, and needed 15 home runs in the final 4:30 to take the crown, slamming homer after homer to the rabid delight of the Cincinnati crowd.
But Dodgers rookie slugger Joc Pederson nearly stole the show and surprised many in the process. Pederson hit 39 home runs in the three rounds of the newly-formatted derby, his longest traveling 489 feet, also the longest of the tournament.
Pederson's showing was a microcosm of his impressive first half of the season in the slugging department -- though he's only batting .230, he already has 20 home runs and an .851 OPS.
And what he did on Tuesday night left spectators craving more in future home run contests.
Not exactly the format you'd think Pederson would do well with
In the first half of the season, Pederson's home runs averaged a distance of 430.5 feet. That figure is 10 feet further than the slugger in second place on the list, the Mets' Lucas Duda.
What that would indicate is that Pederson generally hits mammoth drives that take a while to actually land in the seats. Trouble with those types of home runs in the new derby format, is that under the timed conditions, the pitcher is not allowed to release the next offering to the hitter until the ball has hit the ground.
Surprisingly, this really wasn't an issue for Pederson because so many of his swings resulted in home runs, somewhat negating the issue of having to wait for the prior ball to land before taking the next cut.
Crowd factor aside, Pederson was the most fun to watch
The sheer power behind Pederson's blasts at GABP was breathtaking. Judging by the show he put on, baseball fans will be waiting with bated breath for him to step to the plate in the next home run contest.
Pederson at one point blasted five home runs on five consecutive swings, making you wonder whether he might reel off eight or nine straight. Or more.
Before Frazier's final-round magic, it looked as though Pederson's 14 homers might be enough to take home the trophy.
Of special note to Dodgers fans, Pederson more than acquitted himself well under the bright lights of the home run derby, something that Dodgers in the past have had real trouble with.
None more so than former Dodgers great Mike Piazza, who put up back-to-back goose eggs in the only two years he participated in the contest, 1993 and 1994.
Raul Mondesi also competed in the event, hitting two in 1995.
Hee-Seop Choi hit five 2005 and Matt Kemp hit a total of three between his participation in 2011 and 2012. Yasiel Puig joined Piazza's company by failing to hit a homer in last season's derby in Minnesota.
While the format is different now, hitting 39 home runs when franchise history prior to that effort featured a total of 10 is quite an accomplishment.
Frazier has established himself as one of the premier home run-hitting stars in MLB, but based on how he handled the pressures of hitting home runs on the biggest of stages on Tuesday night, Pederson has a very bright future when it comes to future contests.
He's proven that the format works for him, and with his ability to hit so many balls more than 425 feet -- thereby getting the additional 30 seconds of bonus time -- he could be a perennial derby winner in the years to come.
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