Joc Pederson Adds Left-Handed Thump to the D-backs Lineup

Pederson's ability to consistently impact the baseball lengthens the Diamondbacks lineup against right-handed pitchers.

The Diamondbacks have added the free agent bat they've sought after, signing Joc Pederson to a one-year deal that will guarantee him $12.5 million ($9.5 million for 2024 plus $3 million buyout for a 2025 mutual option). It will be the third National League West team in Pederson's career, previously playing for the Dodgers (2015-2020) and the Giants (2022-2023). Pederson's primary role on the team will be to serve as the main designated hitter against right-handed starters. 

Over the course of a season, the team will face a righty in roughly two-thirds of their games. That means Pederson will get somewhere around 400-450 plate appearances a season, getting starts against righties and only a handful of plate appearances vs. left-handed pitchers. In his career, Pederson owns a career .242/.344/.490 slash line against right-handed pitchers. In 2023, he hit .241 with 14 of his 15 home runs and a 115 wRC+ when holding the platoon advantage. Only two D-backs performed better against right-handers in terms of wRC+, Corbin Carroll (146) and Ketel Marte (122). The Giants shielded him against left-handed pitching, which only accounted for 109, or 12.7%, of the 858 plate appearances he recorded the last two seasons. That's a usage pattern that will need to continue for Arizona to get the most out of this deal.

While the overall 2023 numbers are not fantastic, the underlying Statcast metrics paint a much different picture. Pederson was in the 90th percentile in xwOBA (.366), 96th percentile in hard-hit rate (52.2%), 82nd percentile in xSLG (.481), 79th percentile in barrel rate (12.1%), and 91st percentile in walk rate (13.4%). The D-backs are counting on Pederson's skill level being closer to those metrics than the disappointing numbers he posted in 2023. 

Joc Pederson's Batted Ball Metrics and Percentiles for the 2023 season / Baseball Savant

Pederson immediately inserts in the middle third of the D-backs lineup against right-handed pitchers. With Carroll and Marte batting at the top of the lineup, posting on-base percentages of .362 and .358 respectively in 2023, he will have plenty of RBI chances over the course of the 2024 season. Pederson has batted .263 or better with runners in scoring position in each of the past five seasons, a total of 456 plate appearances. Adding another impact bat in the middle of the lineup takes the pressure off of Christian Walker to be the team's key run producer, although Walker has done a good job of driving in runs with 197 RBI over the past two seasons.

Looking at Arizona's lineup against right-handed pitching, they will feature six hitters with a wRC+ of 100 or better in 2023. Gabriel Moreno and Alek Thomas both were at 86, but are on an upward trajectory entering the 2024 season. The team very well could boast a very deep lineup with very few breaks for an opposing starter to handle. That will be big as the team tries to make another postseason run after their magical run to the World Series in 2023.

Joc Pederson Signing Details and D-backs Payroll Update