Vin Scully has been calling Dodgers games since 1950 and he thinks Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson is the best center fielder in franchise history.
During Wednesday night's broadcast, Scully said Pederson "looks to be the best fielding center fielder the Dodgers have ever had, and that's saying a lot."
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It certainly is. Pederson has been great this year with a .992 fielding percentage and highlight catch after highlight catch, but the Dodgers have had several great center fielders in their illustrious history.
The most notable was Duke Snider, who spent 15 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Dodgers and was an eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. The Silver Fox had a .985 career fielding percentage and was often compared to contemporaries Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.
Willie Davis won three straight Gold Gloves from 1971 to 1973 and was an All-Star in those years. He spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers, helping them win the World Series in 1963 and 1965 and the NL pennant in 1966. When he retired in 1979, he ranked seventh in major league history with 5,449 putouts and 5,719 total chances in the outfield, third in games in center field with 2,237, and ninth in National League history with 2,274 total outfield games.
Even Rick Monday, who helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series, was a two-time All-Star with a career .981 fielding percentage in center field. He also famously saved an American flag from being burned on the field in 1976.
Pederson has committed just one error in 74 career MLB games. He may one day be regarded as the greatest center fielder in Dodgers history, but Scully — and everyone else — may want to pump the brakes a bit before crowning the 23-year-old the best ever.