Sergio Pedroza, Walk Machine

The 11 walks taken by Seals batters yesterday got me thinking about on-base percentages. Right-fielder Sergio Pedroza leads Victoria with both a .364 average and a slo-pitch like .532 OBP. Pedroza has walked 13 times in 47 plate appearances; ironically he only drew one of the 11 walks issued by Long Beach pitchers on Sunday. Walking is nothing new to Pedroza. In 2006 with Columbus of the South Atlantic League ("A" ball), he walked an astounding 73 times in only 317 at-bats (walking in 10% of your plate appearances is considered good plate discipline). Pedroza has a career .381 OBP in 4 minor-league seasons.

Sergio's .532 OBP had me thinking that he would make a pretty good leadoff batter, but a closer look at his minor-league stats reveals why Darrell Evans has him hitting in the 3-hole. Pedroza has slammed 71 homers in only 1,377 minor-league at-bats and the Seals can definitely use his power to drive in runs. Pedroza has only hit one homer so far this year, but you can expect his power numbers to improve as the season progresses. He hit 22 homers (in 399 AB) two years ago for Vero Beach in the Florida State League.