February 17, 2025
The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant reports that Texas Rangers designated hitter
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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
December 26, 2024
According to Justin Tasch of the New York Post, the New York Mets had interest in designated hitter
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.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: New York Post
December 23, 2024
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, outfielder/designated hitter
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.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
November 2, 2024
Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter
Joc Pederson has declined the end of his mutual option and will test free agency, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The 32-year-old slugger enjoyed a fantastic season in the desert in 2024, posting a career-best .275/.393/.515 slash line with 23 home runs and 64 RBI. Even though Pederson was in a strict platoon, he was still a valuable fantasy contributor during the entire season. He boasted a stellar 12.8% barrel rate and 46.2% hard-hit rate under the hood. Fantasy managers should expect Pederson to continue to be deployed on the strong side of a platoon in 2025, but he should still be a popular target for power, given his excellent underlying metrics.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Rogers
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