The definition of a slugger might be debatable, but Joc Pederson almost certainly fits the bill: four seasons of 25-plus home runs, three seasons with an OPS+ of 125 or greater, and an average exit velocity that consistently exceeds league average.
Pederson’s power numbers have lagged this season, but on Tuesday he reminded everyone how much damage he can do, homering twice in a 4-3 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.
In his first 29 games (101 at-bats), Pederson had homered just once. He hit his second of the year on Friday, and then doubled his sum again while facing Pittsburgh. First, Pederson hit a towering solo shot in the third inning to put the Cubs on the board (they’d trailed 3-0 at the time). Then in the fifth, Pederson dug out a low slider and sent it over the wall in center for a two-run shot, which tied the game. Both balls left the yard with exit velocities in excess of 102 mph.
Now in his eighth season, Pederson has homered in 5.1 percent of his plate appearances (MLB average in that span is 3.0 percent). But entering Tuesday, Pederson’s home run rate this year was only 1.6 percent.
Pederson is still hitting the ball hard — his 92.1 mph average exit velocity and 50 percent hard-hit rate rank in the 87th and 86th percentile, respectively — but his results to show for it are limited. Now, that’s starting to change.
Pederson’s pair of homers, plus a shift-beating RBI single from Anthony Rizzo, provided enough offense to support Jake Arrieta and the Cubs’ electric bullpen. Chicago relievers have not allowed an earned run in their past 29 2/3 innings.
