Jose Peraza A Center Field Option

Mar 2, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Mallex Smith (83) pose for photo day at Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Other Guys

Cameron Maybin’s strong start in Atlanta was a pleasant as he’s now in second place on the team for home runs (5) and RBI (19) with a line of .252/.350/.420/.770 entering play Friday night. he’s also stolen six bases in none attempts and my shaky math says that’s a 66% rate; Peterson has five but he’s been caught four times. Maybin has flattered to deceive in his career. Once a top prospect for Detroit he was traded to Miami and put straight into center field in the majors. He’s flashed his top prospect skills on occasion but never been able to do it over more than one season.

Waiting in the wings is Mallex Smith. Smith came over with Peterson from the Padres and made the jump from High A to AA with ease.  In his first 39 games his .347/.405/.427/.831  is impressive considering he changed teams at the same time he moved up.  He has two  homers a triple and four doubles in his 170 PA prior to Friday night and he’s stolen 16 bases in 18 attempts. He strikes out more than Peraza at about 19% but walks more as well at about 9%.

That’s A Wrap

It is way too early to say how this whole thing works itself out. The Yankees inquired after Peraza and if the Braves see Smith as a replacement there’s the potential  of a trade. Either Smith and Peraza could regress at the plate – Smith in particular has numbers above what most expect. of him. Peterson is a contact guy, less flash that the other two but solid defense at second and has show the ability to have long at bats late in the game. They have different talents and skill sets that the Braves have to find a way to use to build a winning roster. We’ll keep watching here at the Take and I’m sure our weekly Ag Report will have details of the progress of both Smith and Peraza.