What sets Joc apart? 'He is an absolute bat junkie'

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Multiple times during a homestand, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo will walk by the room where the team stores all its bats and designated hitter Joc Pederson will be in there handling a number of different bats to see which one feels just right in his hands.

“He loves to pick up bats and get a feel and see how it responds in his hands,” Lovullo said. “And he’ll spend half an hour at a time in the bat room and I see him in there often. He is an absolute bat junkie, and he wants to talk about baseball bats as much as anybody I've ever been around.”

Most players are particular about their bats, so that is not unique. Players trying different bat models is pretty common. What sets Pederson apart from others is how often he changes bats.

“I don't know if it's unique,” Pederson said. “I think it's just whatever feels good. That kind of makes sense to me.”

D-backs hitting coach Joe Mather has seen hitters who like to use different bats, but not to the degree Pederson does.

“I’ve never seen someone do it to the level Joc has this year,” Mather said. “I think he’s on a pace that’s impressive even for himself. We asked him and he’s got at least one bat from every team we’ve played this year. “He’s got an Ichiro [Suzuki] bat, he’s got a [Juan] Soto bat. He’s got some pretty cool bats.”

In recent years, Major Leaguers have gone to bat manufacturers in the offseason to get their swings measured to try to get “fitted” with the bat model that works best for them.

Pederson, however, does it the old-fashioned way -- strictly by feel.

“That’s the original old-school bat fitting,” Mather said. “Grab it and waggle it around a bit and go from there.”

Usually the bat length Pederson will use is similar, like 33 1/2 in. or 34 in., but he’ll go outside those parameters if it feels right on a given day. How long he sticks with a bat varies.

“It depends on how long it’s good to me,” Pederson said. “If it’s good, it can stay. If it’s bad, it’s gotta go.”

And what do his teammates think about him using their bats?

“When someone orders a dozen, it’s like a baker’s dozen,” Pederson said. “I get one.”

Pederson was signed by the D-backs this past offseason to serve as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching -- and he’s been the team’s most consistent offensive force, so his teammates don’t mind if it means they have to give him a bat or two along the way.

When he hit a grand slam on the D-backs' last homestand, it came using one of Christian Walker’s bats. Pederson has used a few of Walker’s bats this year, all made by different bat companies.

“If he needs a bat to put a couple of good swings on the ball, like go ahead, take it,” Walker said. “I want him to be the best version of himself every day, and if he’s using my bat, cool.”

When Pederson uses teammates' bats, it’s not their game bats that he’s using, rather it’s other bats from the stock each player keeps in the bat room.

“I’ve enjoyed bats my whole life, so I’ve changed [them] quite a bit for a decent amount of time,” Pederson said. “I've played with a lot of people that used the same bat all year. Not the exact same bat, but same model, same color. I’ve played with people who have used the same model, the same color for 10 years. And that’s just not me.”