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Dodgers News: Joc Pederson Has Learned To Handle ‘Mental Grind’ Of Platooning

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson has endured an uneven career that even saw him get briefly demoted to the Minors in 2017.

Pederson’s most well-known flaw is his struggles against left-handed pitching, which has resulted in the Dodgers’ decision to platoon him instead of making him a full-time starter. Now in his fifth season, Pederson owns a .178/.260/.309 career slash line against southpaws.

He hits right-handed pitchers well enough to get the lion’s share of playing time against them, but regularly sits against lefties. Pederson nonetheless has come a long way since his 2017 struggles that sent him to Triple-A Oklahoma City less than two years ago.