Joc Pederson was signed to a two-year, $37 million contract to address the Texas Rangers' need for a productive DH, a position that had a league-low .584 OPS in 2024.
However, Pederson's performance has not yet met expectations.
Throughout April, the former Dodgers outfielder has been mentioned in the same breath as another former Dodger — Eugenio Vélez — whose 2011 season in Los Angeles will live in infamy.
In August of that year, Vélez tied a club record by failing to get a hit in his first 25 at-bats of the season. In September, he broke a 75-year-old major league record for most at-bats in a season without a hit (36), and tied a 102-year-old record for most consecutive at-bats without a hit spanning more than one season.
Vélez's 0-for-37 season remains the longest by a Dodger ever to finish a year with a .000 average. He never played in the major leagues again, ending his career riding an 0-for-46 slump that spanned parts of the 2010 and 2011 campaigns.
When Pederson doubled Wednesday in the Texas Rangers' game against the Athletics, he snapped an 0-for-41 streak that began April 4.a
Pederson fell short of both Vélez and Chris Davis, who in 2019 broke the dubious record for a position player by going hitless in 54 straight at-bats.
Pederson's batting average with the Rangers is up to .068.
The irony of Pederson's slump is that it is coming on the heels of one of the best years of his career. In 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pederson slashed .275/.393/.515. His .908 OPS and 151 OPS+ were both career-highs.
The early-season slump is perhaps not surprising considering Pederson's age (33) and the streakiness that defined his career in Los Angeles.
An 11th-round draft pick by the Dodgers out of high school in 2011, Pederson rose the ranks as a speedy center fielder with the potential to anchor the position in Los Angeles for years.
Following a rare 30-30 season in Triple-A in 2014, Pederson debuted with the Dodgers in September of that year. The following season, he was a lineup regular, and made the first of two National League All-Star teams in his career.
Yet by his second full season, Pederson's struggles against left-handed pitching had essentially relegated him to a platoon role. His declining athleticism reduced him to a corner outfield role, as well.
Now a full-time designated hitter, Pederson has a career .238/.339/.463 slash line, with 209 home runs in 1,292 games across 12 seasons.
