After ending the 2019 season on a sour note, AJ Pollock looked for more consistency in his second campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, he had to overcome a lot of adversity prior to Opening Day.
Pollock’s daughter was born premature and spent four months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During that time, he also tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Just a lot of stuff going on,” Pollock reflected. “In the past, with adversity, I’ve kind of just let it get to me and make it bigger than it is. This year, I felt like I did a pretty good job of staying in the moment and taking it in stride. Kate did such a good job of handling it.
“I think the hardest thing was when I had to come here and she was still back in Arizona. That was pretty awful for both of us. You just work through all that stuff and got to a group here where the wives are really close and obviously the players are really close.
“It’s an environment where you feel really good when you get here even if you’ve been through a lot of stuff. Everyone is pulling for each other, everyone’s got each other’s back. This is where we wanted to be.”
Despite the hurdles faced, Pollock would bounce back with a resurgent 2020 season. He finished the year batting .276/.314/.566 with nine doubles, 16 home runs and 34 RBI, tying with Mookie Betts for the team lead in home runs.
Pollock crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of .345/.367/.818 in 60 plate appearances and hit 10 of his 16 home runs during the month of September. That set a career-high for homers in a single month, surpassing the nine he hit in March/April to start the 2018 season.
Pollock had mixed results in the playoffs, hitting an overall .220 across 41 at-bats. He enjoyed his most success against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, batting a solid .300/.364/.300 over three games.
2020 highlight
Pollock punctuated a strong 2020 campaign by hitting two home runs in the regular-season finale to help the Dodgers complete a sweep of the L.A. Angels.
The month of September was Pollock’s best from a statistical standpoint, as he hit .294/.322/.659 with one double, 10 home runs and 17 RBI over 22 games.
2021 outlook
Pollock remains under the Dodgers’ control through the 2022 season. He figures to once again form a platoon in left field, where he’ll start against opposing left-handed pitchers.
Should the designated hitter stick around in the NL next season, Pollock would also benefit with perhaps more opportunities against right-handed pitching.
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