Rangers confident Pederson can bounce back despite spring struggles

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- If you ask almost anybody in baseball, they’ll tell you Spring Training stats aren’t the end all, be all. They’re rarely a real indicator of what the ensuing season will look like statistically.

But that doesn’t mean some Spring Training stats aren’t under a microscope.

Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson is under the biggest microscope of all this spring. Pederson signed with Texas in December 2024, seemingly as the perfect complement to an offense that was in desperate need of on-base skills and slugging. Instead, he had the worst offensive year of his career.

He put up career lows in nearly every statistical category, hitting .181/.285/.328 with nine home runs, and a franchise-record 0-for-41 slump in April. Before fracturing his right hand in May, he went .131/.269/.238 in 46 games. He was slightly better when he returned on July 27, hitting .224/.300/.406 in 50 games, but ultimately did not live up to his billing.

“Yeah, last year didn't go well,” Pederson said bluntly. “I think most of it is just the mentals of not playing good for so long. Even the whole second half of when I came back, things started to trend in the right direction, but still I was not where I wanted to be. And we didn't make the playoffs. We have so many goals, so everything is going to be tailored around that, how to contribute to a winning team, how to be an above-average productive player.”

Pederson has not quite looked like the best version of himself this spring – like in 2024, when he hit .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs for Arizona, leading to the deal with Texas. But it’s the process that matters more than the results at this point.

“I think Joc is kind of the veteran guy who knows what he needs to get ready to play a 162-game season,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He came into camp in shape. He's hit the ball really hard. I would say the results probably aren't exactly what he wants, or whatever. But it is Spring Training.”

2024
• Spring: .154/.250/.308
• Regular season: .275/.393/.515

2025
• Spring: .256/.310/.718
• Regular season: .181/.285/.328

2026
• Spring: .160/.323/.160

“That's what's so tricky about Spring Training,” Schumaker said. “I think he hit like [five] home runs last year in Spring Training, and didn't get off to the start he wanted. Hopefully it's one of those situations where he gets some really good swings off and he’s ready for Opening Day. The last thing you want is guys to get really hot on like February 25 and then cool off March 10 or March 12, whatever it is.”

But after a season like that, do you just flush it? Do you keep thinking about how to not let it happen again?

“I think it’s a combination of both,” Pederson said this offseason. “You need to flush the negativity, but not to the point of being stubborn and pretending it didn't happen. It did happen. It was real. I didn't perform to where I'm capable of, and I need to figure out the reasons why without digging in too deep and creating bigger problems. You want to learn from it. I just want to nip it in the bud and get back to being good. That's just the beauty of the game.”

Pederson spent much of his offseason in Texas working with hitting coach Justin Viele trying to identify the issues that caused his struggles last season. And those adjustments will have to carry over to the games eventually.

For now, the Rangers are content that the process is enough.

“I think he's in a pretty good spot,” Schumaker reiterated. “I know what the numbers are. But his work has been good, so I'm still really optimistic on what this is going to look like headed into the season. I bet on the work and the process heading into the season. If there was struggle behind the scenes, then I’d be more worried about certain guys. But the work has been really good [from Joc]. I do feel like his work has been really solid and I’m really comfortable with where he’s at right now in spring.”