Dodgers Minor League Players of the Week – Pederson Starts Strong

Hitter of the Week – Joc Pederson

The Dodgers’ top prospect coming into the year has certainly lived up to his billing in the early part of the season. Joc hit 3 home runs in his first 5 games. To that, he’s added a pair of doubles, a pair of stolen bases and 8 walks compared to 6 strikeouts. He’s struggled against lefties in the past, but is 3 for 10 against them so far this season (which really doesn’t mean much). With the Dodgers finally having all four of their major league outfielders healthy, the path to the bigs is very unclear for Pederson. If injuries hit, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the soon-to-be 22 year old up in a Dodgers uniform.

Pitcher of the Week – Tom Windle

After a successful debut in the Midwest League, the 22 year old southpaw was given the challenge of pitching in the hitter-friendly California League. Thus far, he’s been up to the challenge, allowing just 1 earned run over two starts. He’s also showed impeccable control, striking out 10 batters and walking none. One of the starkest contrasts to his debut is his ability to keep the ball on the ground; after posting a a fairly neutral flyball to groundball rate in his debut, he’s sporting a 7 to 1 mark thru 10 innings. On a staff where he’s overshadowed by Julio Urias and Chris Anderson, Tom has been the ace in the first week.

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