Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of being in a major league clubhouse before or after a game knows firsthand that there are certain players that everyone just seems to gravitate to, including fellow players and especially media-types. In the Dodgers clubhouse, some of the more obvious guys – and for obvious reasons – are unofficial team captain Justin Turner, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, and recently acquired superstar outfielder Mookie Betts, to name only a few. Those obvious reasons are, of course, because of their command presence, veteran leadership, and individual experience at baseball’s highest level.

But there is another guy in the Dodgers clubhouse on that shortlist; a guy who, quite frankly, has been given – earned or otherwise – a bad rap since joining the team on January 26, 2019 as a free agent. That is, of course, 32-year-old All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder A.J. Pollock.

Pollock was initially selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Notre Dame as the 17th overall pick. During his seven seasons with the snakes, he posted a career slash line of .281 / .338 / .467 / .805, with 144 doubles, 29 triples, 74 home runs, and 264 RBI, many of which were against the Dodgers.

That’s the good news (well, except for that ‘against the Dodgers’ thing, of course).

The bad news is that since being signed to what is arguably the worst contract ever offered by Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Pollock pretty much sucked in his first full season in Dodger Blue.

Oh sure, you can certainly argue that his .266 / .327 / .468 / .795 slash line in 2019 wasn’t that bad. But it’s impossible to ignore that among his 74 strikeouts last season, many – even most – always seemed to come at the worst possible time.

As for that ‘worst contract’ thing, Pollock was (very) generously given a ridiculous four-year / $55 million contract that will run through the 2022 season when he will be 34 years old.

But wait, there’s more…

That ridiculous contract also includes a $10 million player option for 2023 (or a $5 million buyout) which, at 35 years old, will make him virtually untradeable without the Dodgers taking a huge financial hit.

Heading into Tuesday’s Cactus League Spring Training game against the (wait for it…) Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, AZ, Pollock was 0-for-Spring-Training in his previous five at-bats.

…was.

Although he collected only one hit in Tuesday’s eventual 7-3 loss, that one hit – his first and only thus far this spring – was an impressive opposite-field two-run home run to right field.

Although “It’s still early,” as they often say (ad nauseam) this time of year, and although Pollock is now 1-for-8 (.125) through four spring training games, maybe, just maybe, he is finally getting past that bad rap – earned or otherwise – since becoming a Dodger on January 26, 2019.

Play Ball!

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