Atlanta Braves Top Prospects via Tomahawk Take, 11-15
By Ryan Cothran
Compliments of MILB.com
15. 3B Dustin Peterson
Dustin Peterson– It’s all about projection, ‘bout projection, not production. I know, lame but it’s most definitely true for Padres 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft. Younger brother of D.J. Peterson and drafted right out of high school, Dustin Peterson is a 6’2 180 pound right-handed 20 year old 3rd baseman that has just finished his 2nd lackluster year in professional baseball. 2014 was actually his first full season and many scouts thought he should have gotten a taste at Rookie ball before being thrust into Low-A. Regardless, it happened and things weren’t so sparkly for the then 19-year old Peterson. The power and run production was there as he slugged 10 HR and drove in 79 runs, but this isn’t 1980, and we all know not to put too much weight into either of those sexy stats. The main concern for Peterson is his high-K rate that is, unfortunately, escorted by his low-BB rate. That’s great if you’re a pitcher. Hitter? Not so much.
And while there were some adjustments made from a defensive standpoint, Peterson still committed 38 errors in 128 games. But like I said, it’s about the projection. Scouts project Peterson to be an average to above average offensive 3rd baseman with 20 HR power, but caution evaluators to project cautiously as much of his projections rely heavily on decreasing his K-rate and increasing his BB-rate. Let’s hope that 2015 will be the beginning of these changes and a new organization will light a new fire under Dustin. He’ll likely start at Rome, which is the Braves low-A affiliate, and could see a late promotion to the Carolina Mudcats should he prove successful. As of now, both he and Rio Ruiz are projecting at about the same path and both play 3rd base. If one has to make a move to the OF, it’ll likely be Peterson. If his growth continues, expect the same in ‘16, then ‘17, with 2018 being the year he hits The Show.