On Monday night the Los Angeles Dodgers promoted prospect Jose Peraza to start at second base after Howie Kendrick was placed on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring. Could Peraza be the team's second baseman of the future?
The Dodgers acquired Peraza from the Atlanta Braves in a three-team trade before the non-waiver deadline and he's been already impressing at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Manager Don Mattingly was pleased with the youngster's MLB debut.
"You can't teach that kind of speed," manager Don Mattingly told Steve Bourbon of MLB.com. "I heard that he had good speed, good bat-to-ball skills, he didn't strike out that much and he didn't walk that much. Tonight, he strikes out, walks and showed his speed. We got to see the whole package."
"When Jose Peraza started at second base on Monday, the 21-year-old became the youngest position player to debut for the Dodgers since Beltre," added Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "He could add the speed dimension the Dodgers have lacked since they traded second baseman Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins last winter."
Now, with Kendrick out at least two weeks, it's possible rumors will surface about Peraza taking over at second base in 2016. Previous rumors suggested the Dodgers might be interested in re-signing Kendrick, but now that their starting rotation and bullpen are pretty much in shambles (aside from a few arms), the team may want to focus solely on pitching acquisitions in the offseason. After all, they can probably get draft pick compensation for Kendrick if they present him with the qualifying offer and he turns it down.
Peraza went 1-for-4 last night with a triple and a walk, but he had a couple of lapses in the field after bobbling a grounder in the first inning (but recovered to make the out) and missing out on turning a double play when he had the opportunity to do so.
He admitted to having some nerves in his debut although it's clear he still needs improvement on defense. He has committed 20 errors in 87 games in the minors this season and rumors indicated the Braves parted ways with him because "they weren't sure if he was a second baseman or a center fielder," according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Well, it's clear the Dodgers will be sticking with him at second because they have a crowded outfield situation as of right now. Peraza was the Braves' No. 1 prospect before the trade and he's now the No. 4 prospect in the Dodgers' organization behind Corey Seager, Julio Urias and Jose De Leon.
He's already high up in the organizations talent rankings, which makes this development worth watching while Kendrick is on the disabled list.
