Joc Pederson Hits Three-Run Homer Friday Night
Joc Pederson smacked a late-inning, three-run homer, adding an RBI single on a 2-for-4 night as the Diamondbacks came up short in a 10-9 slugfest against the New York Mets. The home run was Pederson's seventh on the season to go along with his impressive .308 batting average. Pederson is having a nice season as he tours the National League West with his third team. Due to his career .239 batting average, you can expect some regression in the batting average moving forward, but it's nice to see Pederson performing well in his new home. He's only accumulated six at-bats against left-handed pitching on the season because of his strict strong-side platoon, but that plus hitting in the middle of a solid Diamondbacks lineup is reason enough for him to be rostered in most fantasy formats.
Source: MLB.com
Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Source: MLB.com
Joc Pederson Returns From The Flu
Joc Pederson (illness) has returned from the flu in spring training camp, according to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant. Pederson missed a few days in spring training while being under the weather, but he's feeling better now and has rejoined the team for workouts in Arizona. The 32-year-old veteran left-handed slugger had a bounce-back season in 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, slashing .275/.393/.515 with a .908 OPS, 23 long balls, 64 RBI, seven stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 367 at-bats. Pederson proved he can still be successful at the plate, mostly with his power, but there are clear drawbacks for fantasy managers. The primary one is that he almost never faces lefties -- he has a career .630 OPS against them -- and has become a full-time DH at this point in his career. That's unlikely to change with the move to Texas.
Source: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Texas Rangers designated hitter Source: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Joc Pederson Dealing With The Flu
Joc Pederson (illness) is dealing with the flu at spring training. Pederson might miss a few days of workouts at camp this week, but the 32-year-old veteran lefty swinger should be back on the field later this week. The former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 hit .275/.393/.515 with a career-best .908 OPS, 23 home runs, 64 RBI, a career-high seven stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 132 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. At this point in his career, Pederson is basically a full-time DH and only starts against right-handed pitchers. He had a .534 slugging percentage and .923 OPS against right-handers in Arizona. In comparison, he has a .630 career OPS against lefties. Pederson's fantasy value takes a hit because he's limited to DH eligibility.
Source: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant reports that Texas Rangers designated hitter Source: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Mets Had Interest In Joc Pederson
Joc Pederson before he signed a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers. Last summer, Pederson performed very well being deployed on the strong side of a platoon with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pederson posted a .275/.393/.515 slash line with 23 home runs. He generated a strong .378 xwOBA and a 12.8% barrel rate, which were both among the top marks of qualified hitters. He also showed a great eye at the plate with a 12.2% walk rate and a slightly below-average 23.4% K rate. While the Mets could not get a deal done, this suggests that they are still actively looking for a power bat to operate as their designated hitter. Currently, Starling Marte or Jeff McNeil would be the team's DH, but that will likely change by Spring Training. If the Mets do target a power bat, he would have high RBI upside batting behind Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
Source: New York Post
According to Justin Tasch of the New York Post, the New York Mets had interest in designated hitter Source: New York Post
Joc Pederson Agrees To Contract With Texas
Joc Pederson and the Texas Rangers have agreed on a contract, pending a physical. Despite only playing in a strict platoon role in Arizona last summer, Pederson was very effective, posting a strong .275/.393/.515 slash line with 17 doubles, 23 home runs, 64 RBI, and four stolen bases. He hit for a .291 average across 41 plate appearances when facing southpaws. The 32-year-old hit the ball very hard at an impressive 46.2% hard-hit rate and 12.8% barrel rate, which placed him in the 79th and 87th percentiles, respectively. He also generated a .480 xSLG and a .378 xwOBA, which were among the top marks of qualified hitters. Fantasy managers should expect Pederson to have a similar role with Texas, as he will likely operate as the starting designated hitter against right-handed pitching.
Source: Jeff Passan
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, outfielder/designated hitter Source: Jeff Passan
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