Losing a personality

 

I have a couple of blog updates, mostly only of interest to me, before I get to tonight's topic. So, skip to where the sign says "start reading now" if you aren't interested in personal blog business.

 

1. I finally figured out how to make sure a thumbnail photo appears with my latest blog post on everyone's blog roll, and I also figured out how to make sure the right photo appears in the thumbnail.

 

I was raging about my frustration with this a few posts ago and I got the impression that no one knew what I was talking about (or no one cared). But after seeing blog post after blog post -- and also a lot of other people's blog posts -- showing up on blog rolls without thumbnail photos, I knew it was more than just me dealing with this issue.

 

The way to ensure that a thumbnail photo appears with your updated post on everyone's blog rolls is to make sure that you size at least one of the images in your post "original size". If you want the first image in your post to show up as the thumbnail, then make that image "original size." But it doesn't have to be the first image. If you make the 18th image "original size" and all previous images in the post "large" or "medium" or whatever, then the 18th image is what will appear on the blog roll. If none of your images are "original size" in the post, then your post will appear in everyone's blog roll without an image.

 

Got it? Am I the only one who cares? I just know it's quite the relief over here.

 

2. I ran into a snafu with my want lists and had to remove them from the blog for a day.

 

I almost ran into the issue I had before where all my want lists were wiped out. But I was able to use the internet wayback machine and retrieve everything up to the end of October. I've since updated some of the lists for the missing last three months, but there are a few that I haven't gotten to yet.

 

The want lists look rather haphazard now with font sizes and spacing all over the place. I think it's probably because the file is so large and I should start thinking about creating separate pages for each year or era. But that sounds like I'll need a vacation for that, so we'll see.

 

 

START READING NOW

 

 

Lately, the Dodgers have been losing some of the players who helped them win a World Series last year. None of it has been too earth-shaking and definitely not unexpected, but it seems weird to see two players who have meant so much to L.A.'s recent postseason success move on.

Kiké Hernandez's three-home run performance against the Cubs in 2017 will always stay in my brain. And speaking of the Cubs, that's where repeated World Series star Joc Pederson will be playing this coming season.

Losing Joctober was anticipated but it's tough to see personalities like that move on. Pederson was always fun to watch. And, for someone who couldn't hit lefties at all, he still managed to come through in the clutch during the biggest moments. He sure had a flair for the dramatic.

It's funny to look back on my first impressions of Pederson. He started out as a top prospect and my attitude about Dodgers prospects, especially those who rose in prominence in Albuquerque where offensive numbers were always inflated, always contained suspicion. My first reference to Pederson was in a post from May 2012:

 

A couple of years later I was still acting like Pederson was a questionable novelty. That caused a fellow blogger who had watched Pederson play a lot when he was in New Mexico to comment that Pederson was the real deal.

 

I was still skeptical, even after Stack22 sent me a bunch of Joc Pederson prospect-type cards a month later.

 

It turns out we were both right. Pederson produced his fair share of memorable moments for the Dodgers. Three home runs in the 2017 World Series against the Astros, another home run against the Red Sox in the World Series a year later. Another home run against the Rays in the World Series last year.

That's enough to shut up me or any other critic. But Major League Baseball is a demanding sport. Pederson's 5-tool talent diminished over time. His speed all but disappeared. And he became a platoon player pretty quickly. Look at his career stats and they resemble Greg Brock or Billy Ashley, Albuquerque top prospects of the past, who unfortunately never got to the World Series.

Pederson's decline is demonstrated in his baseball cards. Upon his arrival in the big leagues, he was all over cards in 2015. He also made the All-Star Game and participated in the home run derby. But by 2018, Topps started leaving him out of some of its sets, which isn't a good sign for a can't miss prospect.

Still, I always liked Pederson, a lefty through and through and someone who embraced "launch angle" more than any hitter I think I've ever known. Joc's mission seems to be: hit every ball you see as hard and high as you can.

I've accumulated 143 cards of Pederson, which is the same number of Dodger cards I have of Roy Campanella and, get this, Ron Cey.

So, let's celebrate the Dodger career of Pederson with 10 favorites in my collection:

10. 2013 Bowman Platinum, green parallel

This image of Pederson is all over his 2013 cards. I don't know how people can player-collect current players when the same image of the player appears over and over. But this card stands out because of the shiny green finish.

 

9. 2016 Topps

I consider this one of the 2016 Dodger cards that saved the Topps flagship team set. The zoomed-in shots and the hovering haze made this one of the worst flagship sets of all-time. This Pederson card really stands out because you can see two-thirds of his body. Even though he does seem to be alerting people to a clear path away from the fire filling up the ballpark.

 

8. 2012 Topps Pro Debut

Not really a Dodger card, but it sits in my Dodger binders. I like this one because the head-on, sliding-into-the-base shot is always captivating. And the little dinosaur thinks so, too.

 

7. 2018 Heritage, World Series subset

Cardboard proof of the moment when Pederson earned his Joctober nickname. It was exciting to see someone who barely hit in the regular season go off when it counted the most.

6. 2019 Stadium Club

This is Joc Pederson taking off for first after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Red Sox in L.A. The Dodgers would hold the 1-0 lead until the eighth inning when Boston tied it. And it would stay tied until the 18th inning.

 

5. 2013 Chattanooga Lookouts

 

I like homespun minor league cards much more than those that Topps produces. I know larger companies started mass-producing minor league sets by 2013 but these still look more "minor league" than Pro Debut and Heritage Minors.

 

 

4. 2016 Topps Heritage relic

I suppose this is the rarest Pederson card in my collection. I think I have three or four Joc relics that are not from any specific game, event or season.

3. 2016 Stadium Club

Pederson plays the "baby-faced assassin" part better than most and this is my favorite example. I love the cheesy pose and, almost as much, the vehicles in the background, which pop up a few times in Pederson's cards.

2. 2017 Topps Father's Day autograph

Lots to like about one of two Pederson autographs in my collection. Pederson's very happy wearing that Father's Day jersey and why not? His dad, Stu, played pro ball back in the late 1980s, not far from me in fact -- in Syracuse. Unfortunately, I have no Stu Pederson cards.

1. 2015 Topps

Going with the rookie card, just because it's one of the best in the team set from that year and we all know 2015 Topps is phenomenal. The photo succinctly demonstrates Pederson's love for the upper cut.

Pederson came into the majors known for his ability to hit, field, run and throw. But once in MLB, he became known more as a one-trick pony -- a masher and a whiffer. It's telling that the hitters that Pederson is most similar to on baseball-reference are Kyle Schwarber, Rob Deer and Dave Nicholson.

 

But Pederson left his mark deeper, or just as deep, as those other guys. Throw in his father and his wonderful brother, who ended up with his own Allen & Ginter card, and there was plenty to enjoy about Joc Pederson.

It's sad to see such a memory-maker leave the Dodgers.