Joc's got jokes ... and the Rangers love them
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Joc Pederson seems to have fit seamlessly into his first Rangers clubhouse, with a warm manner that complements his 11 years of winning experience.
Pederson is easy to spot before morning workouts, harder to pin down, as he makes the rounds among teammates, a word here or a joke there.
That is what manager Bruce Bochy noticed first.
¡°I love it,¡± said Bochy, who saw Pederson from the opposite dugout when the two sparred in the NL West. ¡°I think that helps a clubhouse, when somebody is walking around with swagger and confidence. And that¡¯s who Joc is.
¡°As much as that, he enjoys the game That¡¯s contagious. Joking around, smiling, that¡¯s how you want your players to play. We deal with a lot of ups and downs. To have somebody who is going to walk into that clubhouse every day and keep guys loose and have some fun playing, yeah, I love it. He¡¯s very comfortable in his skin.¡±
Pederson learned that by living it in a career that began with seven seasons and one World Series title with the Dodgers. Since then, Pederson has had short stops with the Cubs, Braves, Giants and D-backs.
¡°I¡¯ve been the new guy on a lot of teams,¡± Pederson said. ¡°You notice people that go out of their way. You get to a team and maybe somebody reaches out to you, maybe a text or something small, but it makes you feel more welcome.
¡°Now if I can do that with other people or young guys just coming in, I think it can help their best version come out. There already is enough stress and pressure going around in this game.
¡°It is a result-oriented game, everyone knows that. Being uncomfortable, you aren¡¯t going to be the best version of yourself. So if everyone can be comfortable and the best version of themselves, your team will be better. That¡¯s the point, to win ballgames.¡±
Count pitcher Jon Gray among those welcoming Pederson and his style.
¡°Big power,¡± Gray said. ¡°His personality, too. I¡¯m a big fan of the looser side of baseball. Keeping things loose, keeping things fun. I think that¡¯s the best way to get results, and he plays that way."
Pederson, who will turn 33 on April 21, will be the Rangers¡¯ primary DH but takes ground balls at first base daily and could play there when first baseman Jake Burger takes a day off.
Pederson has been around winners his entire career. The Dodgers made the playoffs in each of his six full seasons with them, and he had three homers in 15 postseason games to help Atlanta win the 2021 World Series.
Pederson, who has 209 career homers, works with personal hitting coach Marlon Byrd, who spent three seasons with Texas during his 15-year Major League playing career. Pederson met Byrd several years ago during offseason hitting work with former Dodgers teammate Justin Turner.
¡°I think I¡¯d be silly to not continue or try to have the same people around me as much as possible as I did last year and continue to improve,¡± Pederson said.
Last year, Pederson combined sessions with the Diamondbacks¡¯ hitting coaches with outside work with Byrd, who flew in when Arizona was at home.
¡°I hit with him during most of the homestands and collaborated with the Arizona guys to make a good game plan to be successful every day,¡± Pederson said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean you are going to feel good every day. I think in the past I tried to feel good every day. You don¡¯t feel good in the cage, you hit until you feel good. Well, that¡¯s taxing on your body, and that is not a realistic expectation.¡±
Pederson found that chasing a feel was counterproductive, so he stopped.
¡°Maybe it [feel] is not great,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not thrilled that it is not great, but I¡¯m going to go compete in the game instead of chasing something in the cage and being even more lost going into the game.
¡°Then you are [giving] away at-bats, and that¡¯s not a winning formula.¡±