Pederson celebrates a decade of Major League service time

ST. PETERSBURG -- Joc Pederson strolled into the Tropicana Field clubhouse at about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday and was immediately greeted by a shouting Ketel Marte.

“JP! 10 years!” Marte exclaimed.

Pederson received hugs and high-fives from others in the clubhouse as he sat at his locker, which was adorned with balloons -- one of a giant champagne bottle, the other spelling the number 10 -- to celebrate Pederson attaining 10 years of Major League service time.

“I think it's a cool accomplishment to kind of look back and see some of the cool stuff that I've been able to experience and be a part of,” Pederson said following the team’s 8-7 loss to the Rays.

Just within the past month, the D-backs have feted Randal Grichuk and Eugenio Suárez for each attaining the 10-year mark in the Majors, but Sunday was still a special day because only roughly 7% of big leaguers have so much longevity in MLB.

“That speaks volumes about the consistency, the effort, the production,” manager Torey Lovullo said of Pederson prior to the game. “I just had him in here and we were talking about it. I wanted to congratulate, just embarrass him personally, one-on-one.”

Pederson’s 11-season career has been full of high points -- two World Series championships, a handful of big postseason moments, two All-Star selections and an appearance in the finals of the 2015 Home Run Derby -- but this season has arguably been his most productive.

Pederson’s .289 batting average, .398 on-base percentage and .547 slugging percentage are each career bests. Same goes for his 159 wRC+, which trailed only Shohei Ohtani and Marcell Ozuna among National League hitters with at least 300 plate appearances entering Sunday.

“It takes a while to learn what you do well, learn the ups and downs of the game and the failure,” Pederson said. “It's a tough league, and I'm continuously still learning. Just because I'm at 10 [years] doesn't mean I feel like I'm stopping anytime soon.”

Signed in the offseason to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2025, Pederson has spent most of this year in a platoon role that has focused on him facing -- and mashing -- right-handed pitchers. More than 90% of his plate appearances have come against righties, and he has responded with 18 dingers and a .954 OPS against them.

Last month, Peterson clubbed the longest dingers of his career: A 445-footer against the Royals on July 24 that was the 200th clout of his career, and he drilled a 452-foot homer against the Pirates two days later.

And the veteran’s impact off the field has been just as impactful as his bat.

“He's been unbelievable for this clubhouse,” Lovullo said. “His overall impact in the lineup and helping us win games on the field, you guys see that every single day. But his perspective and his ability to see things differently helps me be a better manager. So I tap into him, and I know his teammates are doing the same thing.”

Pederson stormed through the Dodgers’ Minor League system before debuting on Sept. 1, 2014. He made the All-Star team the following year and ended his rookie season with 26 homers. He bopped at least 25 homers four times from 2015-19 with Los Angeles, but he was an even bigger force in the playoffs.

He went deep three times during the 2017 World Series, which the Dodgers dropped to the Astros in seven games. Three years later, Pederson batted .382 with a .991 OPS during the postseason en route to the Dodgers’ World Series victory over the Rays. One year later, Pederson joined the Braves after a midseason trade from the Cubs. He and his iconic pearl necklace helped Atlanta raise the Commissioner’s Trophy with three more October dingers.

Ten years in, Pederson’s bat is as hot as ever. And the 32-year-old would relish an opportunity to shine on the postseason stage with his current club.

“It would be great,” he said. “We still have to take care of some business, but we’ve put ourselves in a great spot to be able to do that.”