All-Star outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson has agreed to signal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year cope with a mutual possibility for 2025, reports MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert.
An Eleventh-round pick of highschool in 2010, Pederson debuted in 2014 and spent the primary seven years of his MLB profession with the Dodgers. He cut up 2021 between the Cubs and World Sequence champion Braves earlier than 2022-23 with the Giants. He was an All-Star in 2015 after which once more in 2022. Following that 2022 season, Pederson accepted the Giants’ qualifying provide as an alternative of testing free company.
Final season, Pederson, 31, hit .235/.348/.416 (111 OPS+) — following the perfect batting common and OPS+ of his profession in 2022 — with 14 doubles, three triples, 15 homers, 51 RBI, 59 runs and 0.6 WAR. On account of a hand damage and sitting usually versus left-handed starters, Pederson was held to 425 plate appearances in 121 video games final season.
Although he got here up as a middle fielder, Pederson ought to solely be used within the outfield corners at this level in his profession and he even charges out fairly poorly there. The truth is, he began 72 video games at DH final season in comparison with 23 within the outfield. As such, he ought to principally simply be thought of a lefty DH with the aptitude of filling in at instances within the outfield.
Offensively, although, Pederson could be a good asset. In 2022, he had 23 dwelling runs and a .521 slugging share in 380 at-bats, with lots of them coming in one of the crucial pitcher-friendly parks in baseball, San Francisco’s AT&T Park. He has sufficient energy to maneuver the needle towards right-handed pitching.
The outfield for Arizona seems to be full with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left, Alek Thomas in middle and Corbin Carroll in proper. Jake McCarthy might fill in for Gurriel and push him to DH, however in any other case there’s a gap at DH. Thus, it looks like Pederson might play some left subject and principally DH, no less than towards right-handed pitching.
The defending NL champs have changed Evan Longoria at third with Eugenio Suárez and now herald Pederson to interchange, partially, Tommy Pham. The duo will add energy to a lineup that ranked tenth within the NL in dwelling runs final season.
