L.A. Dodger Joc Pederson to Play in “New and Improved” Home Run Derby
Dodger Joc Pederson Photo: L.A. Times
Congratulations goes to Dodger rookie Joc Pederson for being selected in this year’s Home Run Derby. Joc is the seventh Dodger to play in the summer slugfest: Mike Piazza (1993-94) and Matt Kemp (2011-12) have appeared twice, while Steve Garvey (1985), Raul Mondesi (1995), Hee-Seop Choi (2005), and current teammate Yasiel Puig (2014) have played once.
Joc’s 20 homers this year are the second most ever for an NL rookie before the All-Star Break. Dave Kingman hit 21 in 1972 while at San Francisco, and Albert Pujols matched that number in 2001 with St. Louis. Pederson also leads the majors in average home run distance at 431 feet (minimum 8 HR). Now that’s some power! As a die-hard Dodger fan, I hope Joc does our city proud. At the very least, my hope is that he goes past the first-round. In 2014 Puig had no homers; Kemp hit only one out in 2012, and just two in 2011. With those dismal numbers, of course neither player made it to the second round.
This year’s event will feature a new format that includes timed rounds and brackets. Instead of being given 10 outs per round, each player will have five minutes to knock out as many home runs as possible. The clock stops after any home run balls hit in the final minute land; the clock will restart after the next non-homer lands or after a swing and miss. Pederson had this to say about the new format: “Swinging for five minutes, that’s going to be a really long time. Really long. Hopefully I don’t have to go first and I can watch how some of the veterans go about it.” Players were seeded based on home run totals through Tuesday’s games. No. 4 seed Pederson will face No. 5 seed Machado. The winner will then hit against the winner of No. 1 seed Pujols vs. No. 8 seed Bryant, who is also a rookie.
2015 Home Run Derby matchup Photo: MLB
Personally, I enjoy the HR Derby more than the All-Star game. I’ve always loved the long-ball competition; there’s nothing like the sound of a baseball exploding off the bat and seeing how far it will go. I’m really looking forward to watching how many 431 foot plus homers Pederson will crush.The fun begins this Monday, July 13 at 5 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live by ESPN and MLB.com. The All-Star game begins this Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT and will be aired on Fox. Will you be watching the Derby this year? What do you think about the rule changes? Please comment below.