Atlanta Braves Mid-Season Prospect Reports, Part 3

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Apr 6, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Gloves and Gatorade cooler in the dugout before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

15. Dustin Peterson

The Good:

Typically, we try to present an objective view of the players that we’re reviewing, but I will quote the contributor directly in this case: “I’m extremely biased here, because I was harping on Peterson very early this year, and I feel very vindicated, so take this review with that lens.” That’s sounds like a good start, so let’s continue!

More from Tomahawk Take

Coming over from San Diego, Dustin had a very long swing with a lot of moving parts that led to high strikeout rates and poor contact rates. The Braves did some work with his swing that smoothed out the swing some, but the biggest thing that changed for Dustin is that he is not going for the ‘first okay’ pitch in an at bat, but he’s going after the best pitch for him and putting the best part of the bat on the ball more frequently.

He’s had a bit of a slump since returning from the bus crash, but he’s still had around a 10% walk rate and 17% strikeout rate all season, which are perfectly fine numbers with raw power that may only be behind Braxton Davidson in the entire Braves system. The other big move the Braves did this year was to move Peterson to left field. He’s transitioned very well there, and while he is no Alex Gordon in left, he’s shown more than adequate defensive instincts in left field that will allow him to play at higher levels.

The Not So Good:

The Carolina bus crash seemingly derailed what was a great season. He’s struggled to come back from the trip with more streaky hitting compared to his consistent approach before the crash. That said, he’s 20 years old at high-A, so there’s some expected fluctuation from a guy throughout the year in his performance as he learns a level and pitchers adjust to him at that level. The only other knock is that while Peterson is a very good athlete, displaying above-average speed, but he’s not translated that to the base paths in his career thus far, though I’m also not sure that he’s been asked to do that yet.

The Stats:

Peterson started out on fire… hitting .309 after roughly the first month-plus of the year.
Currently, after 105 games, 439 PA’s: .258, 8 HR, 53 RBI, ~10%/19% BB and K rates, and slashing .258/.328/.362 for a .690 OPS and 104 wRC+.

We’ll see how Peterson adjusts in his third trip through the league, and that will determine whether he opens 2016 in high-A or gets the bump up to AA Mississippi. He has shown a lot already this year, but the team may also not want to rush him with all the changes made this year in his swing and approach. He’s also 20, so he has time to move. The trend is in the right direction, though not strongly enough yet to give him the upward arrow.

Interesting sidebar. Dustin wasn’t even the best player in his own house growing up: brother D.J. was selected as a 1st rounder in the same draft (#12 overall/Seattle; Dustin went #50). But while Dustin is improving, D.J. has floundered this year with much lower numbers across the board in AA and AAA… that after a middling AA in 2014. Scouting reports for each brother still suggest D.J. has higher upside, though Dustin may be improving on that while D.J. has hit a wall.

Next: Catching On at AAA

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