If you weren’t paying close attention this past September you probably missed it. But if you were paying attention, you undoubtedly noticed that Dodgers top outfield prospect Joc Pederson was constantly in motion during his 12 games in the Dodgers outfield. He was moving before, during and after each pitch, and according to former MLB manager and current DodgerTalk and MLB Network Radio host Kevin Kennedy, this is a very very good thing.

“The main thing is, and [former Dodgers general manager] Al Campanis used to tell us this, every player on the field needs to move in unison on every ball that is hit, even foul balls,” Kennedy said. “You can’t be flat footed as the ball crosses home plate, not just the infielders but the outfielders too. You get a better jump that way. Joc keeps his feet moving constantly before every pitch and then as the ball crosses the plate he lands balanced, just like an infielder should do on every pitch.”

But Kevin Kennedy wasn’t the only one who noticed Pederson’s seemingly perpetual motion during his September call-up last season, former Dodgers outfielder and current broadcaster Rick Monday noticed it as well.

“If you watch [Pederson] closely, he leans forward onto the balls of his feet on every pitch,” said Monday. “This allows him to get a better jump on the ball and when the ball is hit, he is already breaking in that direction – even on foul balls. You’re going pick up an extra step or two by doing this and get to balls that guys standing out there flat-footed are not going to get to. These are the things that separate good baseball players from great baseball players.”

Pederson is on the balls of his feet and moving on every pitch.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

So where did Pederson learn this constant motion thing? When there’s baseball pedigree in your family the answer is obvious – Joc’s father and former Dodger Stu Pederson taught him.

“Joc told me that he learned it from his dad,” said Kennedy. “His dad told him to always be ready and never take a pitch off, not ever. Joc also told me that [Dodgers minor league outfield coordinator] Damon Mashore helped him with this as he came up through the minor leagues.”

But what about Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Scott Van Slyke? Aren’t they moving on every pitch too? In a word, no.

“No other Dodger outfielder did that,” Kennedy said. “In my day they all did it. And more than that, they are all supposed to do it. This is why Joc always gets a great jump. As the great Roy Campanella used to say: ‘You can’t out run the ball, so you better be ready with your feet on every pitch.'”

According to Kennedy, there are others who have noticed this deficiency in the Dodgers outfield.

“Darwin Barney told me at FanFest that he was shocked at how many of our outfielders didn’t even move on a foul ball,” Kennedy said. “He said he noticed this as soon as he got here last year.”

Dodgers utility infielder Darwin Barney knows a thing or two about moving on every pitch – and he has the Gold Glove to prove it.
(Photo credit – Mike Zarrilli)

Whether it’s complacency, laziness or an attitude that comes with guaranteed multi-million dollar contracts, this is an area that needs to be addressed and fixed by the Dodgers coaching staff. If it is not, sooner or later one (or more) of those foul balls is going to land on the chalk when it should have been caught.

That being said, it’s refreshing to know that there is at least one Dodger outfielder who isn’t about to let that happen – the guy who is in perpetual motion.