Last season, two-time World Series champion and postseason hero, Joc Pederson, thrived in his platoon role with the Diamondbacks. Pederson, a left-handed hitting righty-hammer, posted a .275/.393/.515/.908 slash line with 23 home runs in 367 at-bats, setting career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. It was the right kind of performance for a DH that struggled through 2023 and was set to enter free agency.
With Pederson seemingly rejuvenated and ready to mash, the Texas Rangers decided to pick him up on a 2-year, $37 million contract ($18.5 million a year, player option for 2026, mutual option at same price for 2027).
But since donning his Rangers jersey, Pederson couldn’t have been more disappointing. The veteran slugger is hitting a lowly .127/.244/.218/.462 with one home run in 110 at-bats. Entering Friday, he is the only hitter with more than 91 at-bats and as few as four RBIs. Earlier in the season, he went 0-for-41 in a truly miserable stretch.
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What’s wrong with Joc Pederson?
Needless to say, these are the worst numbers Pederson has posted in his 12-year career, which includes some pretty ugly years. Pederson has posted a few down years that were easily forgettable, finishing three seasons with batting averages under .215 (not including his debut year). But we normally don’t see Pederson at his best until Joctober.
Under the bright lights of the postseason, Pederson has showcased a remarkable tendency to hit timely home runs in abundance and, over his past two postseasons, was able to hit for averages of .389+ in particular series matches. Despite his playoff heroics, Pederson has never won a postseason MVP award.
His postseason performance notwithstanding, Pederson’s current struggles appear to be rooted in squaring the ball. Pederson has been frequently missing the barrel resulting in deteriorating exit velocities. Baseball Savant finds that he is hitting the launch angle sweet spot 24.4 percent of the time, one of the lowest rates in the game.
But if there is an experimental fix, he might try wearing a necklace to the plate, something he hasn’t really done this year that had been commonplace for him in the past. Whether it gives him added balance or added confidence, it could be a quirky solution that might just work.