We all know it, even if no one really wants to come right out an say it with three weeks of spring training still remaining – Joc Pederson will be the Dodgers Opening Day (and everyday) Dodgers center fielder in 2015. But on Tuesday morning, the soon-to-be 23-year-old Palo Alto, CA native received about as much of an endorsement that you will ever get out of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

“We haven’t made any decision on who’s going to be where, but we do like the way things are going for Joc.”

Like I said, no one really wants to come right out an say it.

Mattingly’s almost endorsement of Pederson comes one day after the top outfield prospect received extremely high praise from one of the guys responsible for drafting the former Palo Alto High School Viking – Ned Colletti.

“That’s how you play center field,” Colletti said during Monday’s SportsNet LA’s broadcast of the game against the Oakland A’s after Pederson made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch. “He saw the ball off the bat, went to the spot where it was going to land and there he was … He’s a professional outfielder.”

(Click on image to view video. Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

With newly appointed MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred visiting with Colletti and Dodgers play-by-play man Charlie Steiner in the broadcast booth, the former Dodgers GM added that Pederson “…could become the cornerstone of the team.”

Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, Pederson is 9 for 22 (.409) with a .458 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage for a very impressive OPS of 1.085. He has two doubles, one home run, three RBIs and one stolen base in the 10 spring training games in which he has played. He has struck out six times while walking twice thus far.

Although the Kemp versus Pederson argument will undoubtedly rage on for months or perhaps even years, it’s probably safe to say that Pederson is the better defender of the two; and who knows, maybe he will eventually prove to be the better hitter too.

One thing that we can all agree on – we do indeed “like the way things are going for Joc.”