Major Leaguer resume Vol.96/ WBC Player’s resume Vol.82: Joc Pederson(San Francisco Giants) : Major Candidate for Team Israel: “Charming Slugger!!”

■Today’s player
Today's player is the San Francisco Giants slugger, Joc Pederson. Pederson is from Palo Alto, California, but his mother is Jewish. He will join Israel National Team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

■The KAISPO's baseball analyst comments
"Pederson is a long-ball hitter good at putting a pitched ball on a bat. He has hit 171 homers in 9 major league seasons and double-digit home runs except in his debut year of 2014 and the pandemic-shortened season of 2020. In 2020, his first campaign with the Giants, Pederson made a good showing with a career-high .274 and a team-high 23 long balls, while the team average was a dismal .234, 12th in the NL. Pederson will also be expected to lead the Giants' lineup in 2023."

■Story
Joc Pederson was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 352nd overall pick in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB draft.

The left-handed hitter made his major league debut with the Dodgers against the Washington Nationals on September 1, 2014. He pinch-hit for pitcher Yimi Garcia in the ninth and ended up with a strikeout. The following day, Pederson singled to the center for the first of his career off Right-hander Doug Fister in the second in a Dodgers' 4-1 win. He had 4 for 28 in 18 outings in his first year. In 2015, he started the season as a regular center fielder, smashing 26 long balls with .210 and 54 RBIs over 151 contests. He was named his first All-Star and Home Run Derby Participant.

In 2018, the slugger reproduced a similar performance in 2015 and 2016 with .248/.321/.522, 25 homers, and 56 RBIs. He also made a new franchise record by hitting eight lead-off homers and gained the World Series title with the Dodgers.

In 2022, the 30-year-old had his first Giants season after playing for the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves in 2021. He slashed .274/.355/.470 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs across 134 appearances, being named his second All-Star.

■MLB Career Stats
At the end of the 2022 campaign, the two-time All-Star has marked .237 with 171 homers and 434 RBIs over 1019 contests in his 9 MLB seasons.
(MLB No.398 KAISPO No.1578)