One of the cool things about Hitdawg is that you never know who you might run into there training with Shawn and the other instructors. This last week, LA Dodger Joc Pederson was in working on his swing. Joc was second in the voting for Minor League Player of the Year and was the first hitter in 50 years to have a 30/30 season (that is 30 homers and 30 steals) in the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL). He was also a late season call up to the major leagues. Joc was cool enough to answer a few questions for us between swings.

You are coming off a huge season, yet you are up here in October. Why so early?

I am going to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. I was talking to Woot a lot during the season and there were some things that he said it would be better to work on in person so I am here to work on some things that I can take with me and try to use in game situations. So I thought it was the perfect time.

Is there ever a time to relax as a baseball player?

To sit back and say “I’m good” Not really. There is always someone out there who is maybe a little better than you or is working harder than you. Especially in baseball, there is always someone trying to take your job. There are always little adjustments to make. You are never too good; there is always room to keep improving.

What are you working on?

We are working on some minor things to make my swing more efficient and consistent. We are also working on turning on balls and hitting the ball in the air.

Do you think it is important for young players to use the off season to make changes to and improve their swings?

Well for me, it is something I do all year. The off season is a great time to work on hitting but I don’t think it has to be just in the off season. Some guys don’t want to make changes to their swings during the season because they are like “I have a game tonight” but my thought is are you worried about maybe getting a hit tonight or making positive changes that will benefit you forever.

Why Shawn?

I got to work with him a little in spring training and he is very observant. To be honest he was working with a number of my friends from last season and they showed big improvements. I like to watch hitters and noticed the changes and was like “hey, where did you get this? I know you didn’t come up with it on your own. Who has been helping you?” and they said Woot.

What do you think some of the keys have been to your success as a hitter?

For me it is mechanics. A lot of people hear the word “mechanics” and they get turned off. They think of robotic training. But for me it is what I work on. I am trying to consistently get into a good position to hit. I want to get on plane with the ball as consistently as possible. That’s what I work on. Trying to get into a good position as consistently as possible and hit the ball in the air.

How important are the other aspects of the game, i.e. fielding, base running, etc.?

One hundred percent important. There are some great hitters who get nowhere because they don’t have a position or can’t play defense. I worked on it every day growing up.

If you could give advice about baseball to yourself at 15 years old, what would you say?

I’d say learn how to hit. Find someone to help you learn to get into a good position to hit and work on it as much as possible.

After the interview Joc got back to work in the cage. Watching him, I started thinking how stacked the Dodgers outfield was already with Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Yaseil Puig, Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier. How many of those guys were making adjustments to their game right now? As Joc mashed ball after ball into the back of the cage it struck me that no matter how good you are there is always someone right behind you. If I was in that outfield, I wouldn’t want this guy after my job.

Thanks to Joc for giving us his time.

~Matt Paulsen