Among the Los Angeles Dodgers’ most notable departures during the offseason include Joc Pederson, who sought a bigger role and went on to sign a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.
With Pederson no longer in the picture, AJ Pollock figures to receive more playing time this season. While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Chris Taylor and Matt Beaty could get looks in left field as well, Pollock explained he is planning to be the full-time starter.
“I don’t know. I don’t know that part of the game,” Pollock said. “This club’s got a lot of strings they can pull, so I just go out there and prepare like I’m going to play every single day.
“We’ll see what happens. I miss Joc. He’s a good friend of mine and a lot of fun to have. Whether he’s out there or someone else is with me doesn’t really change how I prepare.”
Pollock is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he batted .276/.314/.566 with nine doubles, 16 home runs and 34 RBI over 210 plate appearances and 55 games.
He attributed the success to his work with the Dodgers hitting coaches and the four-month hiatus after Spring Training. “A lot of it was just the work with Brant Brown and Robert Van Scoyoc. I think I was kind of fortunate to have a pause on the season last year,” Pollock said.
“Obviously with Maddi, but also just to kind of go back and look at some stuff that wasn’t quite working in Spring Training for me. I was able to work with Brownie and clean things up, be able to get consistent with stuff we knew was going to work.
“I think I just got into some pretty good positions last year. You don’t have to be crazy, crazy, crazy strong to hit home runs. You’ve just got to be able to flush the ball and be consistent.”
With players adjusting back to a full 162-game schedule, Pollock noted he isn’t doing much differently in terms of preparation. “We’re all used to 162. We weren’t really used to the 60, so that was a little bit of uncharted waters,” he said.
“More less the same stuff that’s been working for me. I’ve been hammering it at home to make it more muscle memory, and there are some areas of my game I’m trying to clean up a little bit. Just a couple things here and there.
“Your body and everything is a work in progress in your career. You’re getting smarter, learning some things, adding some stuff, subtracting some things that haven’t worked. It’s cliché, but it’s a process. Just keep building, doing stuff that works and eliminating stuff that doesn’t.”
Pollock: 2021 Spring Training feels ‘normal’ compared to last season
Pollock compared 2021 Spring Training to last season’s Summer Camp and said the two are like night and day. “It just feels normal. Last year, a lot of guys had difficult situations, obviously. It’s a piece of cake,” he said.
“When I leave here and go back, Maddi’s got a lot of energy. She’s moving around enough so she’s keeping me on my toes. As far as the stress level, it’s all good stuff now. It’s nice to be able to go the park, get my work done, enjoy it there, and be able to go back and have fun with her.”
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