Could Joc Pederson Be the Left-Handed Power Bat the Mariners Need?

The Seattle Mariners had a great season last year, and one of the biggest parts of their offensive success was Kyle Seager. He was their best left-handed power bat, and they needed every single hit and extra base hit he gave them. With Seager now retired, the Mariners will need a left-handed bat to give them doubles and home runs in the middle of the order. One possible answer for this is left-handed slugger Joc Pederson, who is currently a free agent.

Joc Pederson is one of the better power hitters in baseball, and he had some very strong seasons with the Dodgers. Last year he was with the Cubs for the first half and then was traded to the Braves where he helped them win the World Series. He slashed .238/.310/.422, hit 19 doubles, 18 home runs, and had 61 RBI last season. He has hit 25 or more home runs four times in his career, and had 36 home runs in 2019 with the Dodgers.

As a left-handed hitter, it would make sense that he does far better against right-handed pitchers compared to left-handers. This is not quite the case for Pederson; he has a higher batting average and on-base percentage against left-handed pitchers, but he has a much higher slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers. This is very interesting, as it shows that he is not just a free swinger, especially against lefties.

Pederson is a pretty average hitter with good power, which gives him value, but he is not good defensively. This is the only potential problem with the Mariners signing Pederson. They already don’t have a great defensive outfield, and having Pederson in the outfield would not make it better defensively. However, having Pederson would be better than having Jake Fraley because his offensive value far outweighs anything Fraley does defensively that Pederson can’t.

If the Mariners were to only add Pederson to their outfield, then they could move Fraley, and have an outfield of Mitch Haniger, Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, and Joc Pederson. That gives them two righties and two lefties, and they could use Pederson at DH some if they want to as well; he could DH against right-handed starters and Luis Torrens could DH against left-handers.

If the Mariners used Joc Pederson against right-handed pitchers most of the time, and he used some more of his plate discipline, then he could be an even better hitter for the Mariners than he has been previously in his career. He would certainly be loved in Seattle for his pearl necklaces and his swagger, but most importantly, for his playoff experience and home runs.