Joc Pederson Still Joctober For Atlanta Braves
Officially Licensed Joc Pederson Joctober is providing the Atlanta Braves the same October magic he displayed with the Dodgers ... [+] GETTY IMAGES
He was regarded as middle class as far as Major League Baseball free agents go this past offseason, but that designation fits only between April and September. When it becomes October, Joc Pederson is high class, thus the nickname Joctober. His $7 million a year salary becomes a steal when the weather cools.
His speed has diminished and he does not hit left-handed pitching well, and he will not sign that gargantuan $80-$100 million contract envisioned for him in 2014 when he broke in, but Pederson still knows how to pull his hands in on a high inside fastball and give it a ride on a big stage. He belted a three-run home run in Game 3 of the NLDS to help lift the Braves to a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, and a 2 games to 1 lead.
It was the second pinch-hit home run of the best-of-5 series for the 29-year old Pederson. He also has a double in three at bats coming off the bench, always with the Braves desperate for offense, and always delivering.
“That guy's got no heartbeat at all,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “It's like he's on the playground. Playing against him in the postseason last few years, you could tell that.”
Pederson, who is working on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2022, should have a separate contract for October, something that pays him along the lines of Mike Trout ($37.1 million), or Mookie Betts ($30 million yearly average). In six previous postseasons with the Dodgers, Pederson has slashed .272/.349/.503 with nine home runs and 20 RBI. In the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays, Pederson batted .400.
Officially Licensed Joc Pederson Joctober Shirt
teams are 11-2 in the postseason when he homers.
The Dodgers elected not to sign their World Series hero after 2020 and Pederson had opportunities to play in a platoon for other clubs at better than $7 million, but the Cubs handed him the left field job and Pederson saw a chance to get his career back on a fast track.
