SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A few minutes before noon Thursday afternoon, Joc Pederson strolled onto the main field at Scottsdale Stadium and into the cage. His hair was platinum blonde, but the rest of the look fit right in.
Pederson was decked out in Giants gear and complemented the black long-sleeved shirt and jersey pants with black-and-orange spikes and white-and-orange sunglasses. Pederson's one-year, $6 million deal came together quickly this week, but he already looked like he has been a Giant for years. In many ways, this was decades in the making.
The 29-year-old was born on the peninsula and starred at Palo Alto High School. As a young kid, his parents took him to the final game at Candlestick Park. When he was a high school senior, his friend Shawon Dunston Jr. got him into the Giants clubhouse, where Pablo Sandoval tossed him batting gloves and Pederson watched in awe as Bengie Molina ate an ice cream sandwich an hour before first pitch.
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"You're in the big leagues, this is the best!" Pederson thought. "How do I get to the big leagues?"
His journey started later that summer when the Los Angeles Dodgers took him in the 11th round of the draft, but that didn't change his friends' rooting interests. When the Giants won the World Series a few months later, Pederson joined them at the parade.
On Thursday, his first official day in orange and black, he gave one more piece of evidence.
"I did grow up in the Bay Area and I do know that it's 2022 and it's an even year," Pederson said, a sly smile on his face. "So I'm taking an educated guess that we've got a good chance to win the World Series."
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Farhan Zaidi is hoping Pederson is a key piece in that push, and in 20 minutes with reporters on Thursday, Zaidi made it clear that he is likely the last addition for the lineup. The Giants will stay active, but Zaidi said he feels "pretty set on the position player side."
The Giants opened camp feeling they were one left-handed bat short, and after looking at plenty of options, Zaidi and Scott Harris chose Pederson, who had a down year in 2021 but has consistently mashed right-handed pitching throughout his career. Zaidi first saw that in Los Angeles in 2015, when Pederson came up from the minors and hit 20 homers against righties, making his lone All-Star team.
"I go way back with him and I'm very fond of him personally," Zaidi said. "Him being from the Bay Area and having that connection, it's just cool to see him in a Giants uniform today. That's just from a personal standpoint, but from our roster standpoint, he really fits us well (with) the way Kap manages the roster and tries to match up.
"He's been one of the best power hitters against righties his whole career at the big league level. He fits what we do well. It's a great fit and I'm just glad he's finally here."
Pederson's familiarity with Zaidi goes back years, and he shook his head Thursday when he recalled how Zaidi won the Dodgers' fantasy football league three straight years.
"He's got the lucky touch, I guess," Pederson said.
Alex Wood was in that league, too, and Pederson has gotten to know other Giants over years of rivalry games.
He is particularly close to Brandon Crawford, a frequent conversation partner when Madison Bumgarner and Yasiel Puig would decide to dance. Pederson playfully stuck his tongue out last year when Crawford robbed him of a hit at Oracle Park, but it was what happened a day earlier that was more noteworthy.
After getting robbed of extra bases by Steven Duggar, Pederson got an inside fastball from Anthony DeSclafani and cleared most of the kayakers in McCovey Cove.
"My guess is he would say (2021) didn't go quite as he would have hoped, but he's still young and we as a group still really believe in the talent," Zaidi said. "When he's in the batter's box, he can do things that not a lot of guys at the big league level can do.
"I know he's excited to be here and we're going to do everything we can to help him get the most out of his ability, and on pure ability, he ranks really highly on our list. It's our responsibility and his responsibility to get that out of him."
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Zaidi has a full-time DH to play with now, a big reason why finding another power bat was a goal this week, but he said Pederson will play a solid amount of outfield, mostly in the corners. He also noted that Pederson's postseason resume -- a dozen homers, which led to the Joctober tag -- is a big boost to a team that has World Series aspirations.
Zaidi is counting on Pederson to help the Giants put last season's National League Division Series disappointment in the rearview mirror. If they can find that Even Year Magic, Pederson might find himself back on Market Street, just with a much different view of a parade.
"It's pretty surreal to get to come play for a team I grew up watching," he said. "I'm really excited."