Dodgers promote Pederson to Majors

Joc Pederson did enough to hit and run his way to the Majors this season. It was just a matter of when he'd get his chance.

That call has finally come.

The Dodgers promoted Pederson to the big leagues Monday on the first day of roster expansion. The club's No. 3 prospect was not on the club's 40-man roster at the start of the day and thus had to have his contract purchased. Carlos Triunfel was designated for assignment to make room.

The 22-year-old outfielder grabbed headlines this season as he tried to become the Pacific Coast League's first member of the 30 home run/30 stolen base club since 1934. He did just that on Aug. 24 when he stole his 30th base for Triple-A Albuquerque.

The left-handed slugger finishes his first Triple-A season hitting 303/.435/.582 with 33 home runs, 78 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He led the PCL in homers, OBP and OPS en route to capturing the circuit's MVP and Rookie of the Year honors. He played all three outfield spots but worked primarily in center field with the Isotopes.

Pederson was ranked as the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect and No. 18 overall by MLB.com following its midseason update. He was given 55 grades on the 20-80 scale across the board for his hit, power, run, arm and fielding tools, with that package of above-average tools resulting in a 60 overall grade.

Call-ups at the cage: Alex Guerrero, @yungjoc650 & @FedX19 pic.twitter.com/e2MNP6hgvT

- Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 1, 2014

If there is a hole in Pederson's game, it's that he does have a tendency to strike out a little too much against advanced pitching. His 149 strikeouts this season were a career high and ranked third-most in the PCL. His 26.9 percent strikeout rate also placed eighth. For reference, Javier Baez, who has struggled to make consistent contact since his own call-up to the Majors, fanned 30 percent of the time in the same league. He has fanned in 41.7 percent of his plate appearances since joining the Cubs.

There also remains the problem of potential playing time in the Dodgers outfield. The NL West leaders already have five outfielders -- Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier -- on their roster who command playing time. At the least, Pederson should serve a solid bat off the bench who can be plugged into any of the three outfield spots.