Prospect watch: when will Joc Pederson get the call?

You’ve all heard of Joc Pederson, right? He is a Dodger outfielder, which has seriously hampered his rise to the major leauges.

Pederson, a 2010 11th round pick out of Palo Alto High in California, first showed up on prospect radars after he hit .313 with 18 homers and 26 steals for High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2012. Last year he parlayed that with a .278, 22 homer, 31 steal campaign at AA Chattanooga.

Jul 3, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp (left), right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) and center fielder Scott Van Slyke (right) celebrate after the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Dodgers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

This year Pederson has destroyed AAA pitching to the tune of a .319 average with 17 homers and 20 steals in only 74 games.

So why hasn’t he got the call yet?

Five reasons: Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, and Scott Van Slyke. That’s a lot of high profile, and high dollar, muscle in front of him.

So why do I still think Pederson will make his MLB debut sometime this year?

The Dodgers need help. Josh Beckett landed on the DL recently, and the club has concerns over whether Dan Haren can be a solid starter on this staff anymore. Haren’s ERA in on the wrong side of 5 since June 1st, and is well over 6 in the last two weeks. This is cause for concern

With front-line options like David Price, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels all on the trade block, the Dodgers may make a move.

If they do trade for one of those names, they won’t be able to pry them away without including Pederson in the deal.