{"id":682832,"date":"2026-04-25T23:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T23:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/682832\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T23:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T23:30:21","slug":"whats-led-to-joc-pedersons-rangers-turnaround-and-what-still-must-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/682832\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Led to Joc Pederson\u2019s Rangers Turnaround and What Still Must Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The boo birds came for Joc Pederson<\/a> on April 5. Twenty days later, the Texas Rangers designated hitter has fans cautiously optimistic.<\/p>\n

That Sunday he hit his first home run of the season, nearly a month earlier than he did last season. His 2025 was wrecked by an injury that sidelined him for three months, but he failed to shed the slump that dogged him the first two months, at least in the eyes of fans. His horrible start only emboldened them to boo him that day at Globe Life Field<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Latest, he\u2019s been one of the better hitters on the team. Not the hottest or the most productive. But productive<\/a> enough to get a respite from those trying to compare his slow start to last season. A look at his numbers show why he\u2019s been able to turn things around and what still needs to improve.<\/p>\n

Joc Pederson at a Glance<\/p>\n

Skip Schumaker on Joc Pederson’s hustle single that kickstarted their three-run inning: “It’s so early in these seson, but these are like, I hate to say, ‘personality knocks.’ My hitting coach back in St. Louis used to say ‘we need a personality knock here.'” pic.twitter.com\/bzOt8ApFXZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are Pederson\u2019s<\/a> traditional baseball numbers after 26 games:<\/p>\n

He has slashed .241\/.366\/.310 with one home run and four RBI. He has one double. He has struck out 20 times and walked 11 times. Pederson started the season with a 0-for-16 slump before he hit a home run in the first Sunday home game of the season on April 5. He\u2019s batted .280 in April. He\u2019s gotten on base in six of his last eight games. <\/p>\n

The splits for Pederson really aren\u2019t worth diving into. He\u2019s taken on at-bat against left-handed pitching. The Rangers signed him to DH against right-handed pitching and, aside from a game at first base to spell Jake Burger, that\u2019s what he\u2019s done. <\/p>\n

Pederson has collected a bWAR of 0.1. It\u2019s a far sight better than the -0.3 he had a year ago. His career best was 3.3 in 2016, and he had a 2.8 bWAR in 2024. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Statcast Numbers<\/p>\n

Joc Pederson talks his homer, #Rangers<\/a>\u2019 offense. pic.twitter.com\/jlLTJYWzIc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

His Statcast data is \u2026 interesting. His walk rate of 16.2% is in the 91st percentile in the Majors and would be a career high if he sustained. His hard-hit rate is 55.3% and is in the 94th percentile while his average exit velocity is 93.1 mph and is in the 91st percentile. He\u2019s shown a good eye at the plate and makes consistent hard contact. Those sustained percentiles are the biggest reason he\u2019s been able to turn his numbers around. <\/p>\n

Pederson doesn\u2019t chase. At 24.1% he\u2019s in the 78th percentile. But his whiff rate is among the worst in the game at 36.4%, or in the sixth percentile. His strikeout rate is also in the 29th percentile at 26.5%. So, he swings and misses nearly four out of every time but avoid chasing, which means a good amount of his swing and miss is in the strike zone. And that whiff rate is up 11.2% from last year. It would be a career worst if it kept up. <\/p>\n

So What Now? <\/p>\n

The Rangers must be happy that they\u2019re not dealing with a batter hitting around .200 as the calendar closes in on May. As the Rangers transition to trying to boost their on-base percentage, seeing Pederson at .360 with 11 walks is a nice development. <\/p>\n

But the whiff rate and the strikeout rate must improve. It\u2019s the biggest impediment to getting him closer to the 2023 numbers that got him signed by Texas in the first place. Batting him second right now with Wyatt Langford is an outlier. He\u2019ll be back in the fifth spot once Wyatt Langford returns or Corey Seager emerges from the slump, the latter of which already appears to be happening. Texas needs a more productive version of Pederson than last season. So far, the Rangers have it. But there\u2019s still work to be done. <\/p>\n

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