Joc Pederson Loses Spot in Center-Field

 

 
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been all over the media this season, and outfielder Joc Pederson losing his starting spot makes things even more interesting. 

Due to his recent slump, head coach Don Mattingly has stated that Enrique Hernandez will take over in center-field until “further notice”. 

Pederson went from being a front-runner to win the rookie of the year, to being benched by his own team, interesting. What exactly is Mattingly thinking?

“It’s just that time of year. [Hernandez] has been swinging the bat better. He’s comparable defensively. It’s just one of those things that we have to do at this point,” Mattingly said. “I can’t say it’s going to stay that way if [Hernandez] goes in the tank or something. At this point, he has earned at-bats, and I feel like it gives us a better chance to win.”

The 23-year old is hitting .163 with a .333 on-base percentage, which goes to show you that maybe this was the right move by the Dodgers. Pederson has 23 homeruns on the season, although he only has 3 since the All-Star break. 

How much better is Hernandez? He is hitting .294 with a .840 OPS this season. If all pays off, the Dodgers may have made a great move that no fan saw coming.