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Neddy wrote:I've been saying it since coming back from the spring straining, but i really do believe Joc will be a star in this league and before the season is over, he will hit much earlier in the lineup, possibly in the 2/3/4/5 area. knowing who we have for 2-3-4, it is probably the 5 hole.

Only 19 games into the season, and the Dodgers have moved Joc Pederson into the leadoff spot in the series finale against the Giants.

The move is logical on its face, as Pederson has the best on-base percentage on the team at .458. Not that it's reasonable to expect that high of an OBP from Pederson going forward, though getting on base is one of his best skills. He leads the team in both walks (16) and walk rate (21.9%), and even if removing his three intentional walks is still the best in blue at drawing a free pass.

Ranma wrote:

Neddy wrote:I've been saying it since coming back from the spring straining, but i really do believe Joc will be a star in this league and before the season is over, he will hit much earlier in the lineup, possibly in the 2/3/4/5 area. knowing who we have for 2-3-4, it is probably the 5 hole.

Eric Stephen, TrueBlueLA.com (4/29/15)

Only 19 games into the season, and the Dodgers have moved Joc Pederson into the leadoff spot in the series finale against the Giants.

The move is logical on its face, as Pederson has the best on-base percentage on the team at .458. Not that it's reasonable to expect that high of an OBP from Pederson going forward, though getting on base is one of his best skills. He leads the team in both walks (16) and walk rate (21.9%), and even if removing his three intentional walks is still the best in blue at drawing a free pass.

Joc Pederson Leading Off as Dodgers Shuffle Lineup vs. Giants

Neddy wrote:great news!!!! as much as I loathed Jimmy Rollins in the leadoff role, I didn't think they would give up on him this fast. the stubbornness of Donny and the Co. is the reason why i didn't even bother to list the leadoff spot as an option for Joc, but this is great!

now, leading off, I do expect Joc's OBP to drop a little. but on the flip side, if Rollins is the one going to the 8th hole, this will greatly improve his OBP and having speed on base with a pitcher in the batter box is not a bad thing at all.

Ranma wrote:

Neddy wrote:great news!!!! as much as I loathed Jimmy Rollins in the leadoff role, I didn't think they would give up on him this fast. the stubbornness of Donny and the Co. is the reason why i didn't even bother to list the leadoff spot as an option for Joc, but this is great!

now, leading off, I do expect Joc's OBP to drop a little. but on the flip side, if Rollins is the one going to the 8th hole, this will greatly improve his OBP and having speed on base with a pitcher in the batter box is not a bad thing at all.

Rollins is actually batting second in the order for now but I like your idea of him at the 8th spot better.

Pederson hits a HR to tie the game off the second pitch in his debut as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter.

Then Adrian Gonzalez hits his 8th homer of the season to put the team up by 1 run.

And if that isn't enough, Andre Ethier hits his 3rd dinger to put the boys in blue up by 3 runs.

All in the 1st inning.

Ranma wrote:And to think that Joc Pederson is arguably the 3rd best prospect in the Dodgers' system. Man, if that turns out to be true, Corey Seager and Julio Urias should be star major leaguers.

...Pederson has emerged as one of the best all-around players in the league through four-plus weeks. We see it with his glove: He’s saved two more runs than the average center fielder and helped the Dodgers to the fourth-best team defensive rating in the NL per BIS:

And we see it even more clearly with his bat: Pederson has been one of the best hitters in the majors, ranking among the league leaders in on-base percentage and slugging with a .260/.420/.597 line. He’s tearing the cover off the ball too. According to Baseball Savant, Pederson, with an exit velocity off the bat better than 97 mph, is hitting the ball harder than any other player in the major leagues.

What’s more, Pederson has become a master of the three true outcomes, so named because a walk, a home run, or a strikeout are the only plays in a baseball game unaffected by the players in the field.
...

Still, why push such a whiff-happy slugger to the leadoff spot? Pederson has also been a walks machine; in his first 101 times up, he’s walked 21 times. Only Bryce Harper and Carlos Santana have walked more frequently, and both Harper and Pederson are on pace in this young season to top Frank Thomas for the highest walk rate of any 23-or-younger batter since 1950.
...

For now, the Dodgers have one of the most unorthodox — yet effective — leadoff men in the majors. And wherever he ends up in the order, it also looks like they’ll have one of the most electric players in the league for years to come. Following in the footsteps of Sandy Koufax and Shawn Green, Pederson is a deserving piece in the lineage of great Dodger boychicks. And for a veteran-laden team that sorely needed an injection of power and defense, he’s been a breath of fresh air.