PHOENIX — Meeting with the local media for the first time since making his contract with the Diamondbacks official, Joc Pederson ended the introductory press conference with some humor, referring to the hot Arizona summers with an acronym made popular by Canadian artist and actor Drake in 2016.
"The weather was kind of a factor, not going to lie," Pederson said. "It's going to be interesting. 120-degree summers, haven't done that, but YOLO."
While the D-Backs' social media marketing campaign in 2023 of 'Embrace the Chaos' isn't a word-for-word copy of 'You only live once', the acquisition of Pederson is another offseason 'YOLO' gameplan example by the front office to put the Diamondbacks in position to defend the National League pennant.
"There's no one person that's leading the way, it's all 26 guys pulling on the same string with one common goal," Pederson said. "I think that's a lot more powerful than superstars on other teams. You can really tell that they have that. They leave their egos at the door. It looks like they have a lot of fun on the field and I'm excited to be a part of it and help any way I can."
Pederson's 1-year contract is the latest in an active offseason by general manager Mike Hazen, who also brought in pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez on a 4-year, $80 million contract in December, and traded for power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suarez in November.
Pederson spent the first 10 years of his MLB career with the Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Giants, winning the World Series with Los Angeles in 2020 and Atlanta in 2021.
"(The D-Backs) got as close as you can get last year and you just want to build on that," Pederson said. "When you lose, it adds to the hunger of wanting it even more.
"I've been in a lot of playoff games and understand the chaos that goes on and can help any way I can but they didn't really need much help. They were as close as you can get to winning. It'd be nice to help them push it over but we've got a lot of work to do."
That work starts in less than a month. The Diamondbacks begin their Spring Training game schedule Feb. 23 against the Colorado Rockies.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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