ATLANTA — Joc Pederson is already an indispensable All-Star for a first-place team. He hits the longest home runs in the major leagues, reaches base often and plays center field better than anyone for the Los Angeles Dodgers in many years.
Yet Pederson, 23, might symbolize the new wave of talent flooding the game’s rosters. He belongs in the majors, unquestionably, with some skills that translate seamlessly from the minors. But he has so far to go.
“This power is kind of new to me,” Pederson said this week by his locker at Turner Field before a game with the Atlanta Braves.