Now that we've gotten through much of the long and winding road that is the 2017 MLB season and have arrived at Sept. 1, it's the time that rosters can expand. We'll hear a lot about "September call ups" these next few days and the Dodgers have made an interesting decision worth discussion.
They are calling up top outfield prospect Alex Verdugo and leaving Joc Pederson down in the minors to finish out the Triple-A season before bringing him back. Let's discuss.
Why bring Verdugo up?
Now that rosters can expand, Verdugo can join the club without it having to send anyone down as a corresponding move and he's ready for a look at The Show. In 117 games in Triple-A this season, Verdugo hit .314/.389/.436 with 27 doubles, four triples, six homers, 62 RBI, 67 runs and nine steals. Bonus: He walked (52 times) more than he struck out (50). As can be seen, Verdugo is less power and more batsmith. He's played all three outfield spots in his minor-league career but played slightly more center than right this year.
This isn't just a token promotion, either.
"We're going to play him," [manager Dave] Roberts said to reporters yesterday, via latimes.com.
And why not?
The Dodgers have a 16-game lead in the NL West and even lead the Nationals by 10 1/2 games for the best record in the majors. It's a cinch that they'll have home-field advantage for as long as they last in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, they are in a small funk, having lost five games in a row. Youngster Cody Bellinger provided a spark when he was called up, so why not see if Verdugo can help get things back on track. Who knows, maybe come playoff time he's played his way into an everyday gig. If not, no worries. The Dodgers are loaded with depth.
This is simply a no-brainer. There's nothing to lose along with good upside.
Why leave Pederson down?
Joc simply isn't ready to return in terms of performance with the bat. He was 2 for his last 41 before being sent down to the minors. Since going down? He's hitting .150/.227/.175 with zero home runs.
We've probably seen enough from Pederson to know that he's never going to hit for a high average, but he gets on base and hits for power. Last season, despite hitting .246, he was very productive with a 126 OPS+. It's just that when he's hitting below the Mendoza line and not knocking the ball out of the yard, he loses almost all his offensive value.
The Oklahoma City Dodgers have four games left. The Dodgers seem to be holding out hope that Pederson ends on a high note and comes back in a relative groove with some renewed confidence.
If not, he'll still likely have a chance to do so at the big-league level in September. And if he still can't get on track, he's likely to be left off the postseason roster at age 25 a year after starting all six games in the NLCS.
Let this serve as our daily reminder that baseball is hard.
