LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – He’s been perhaps the most pleasant surprise of Braves spring training, causing a bit of a buzz among scouts and opponents around the Grapefruit League. But rookie Jace Peterson isn’t about to ease up in the final two weeks of camp and assume he has a 25-man roster spot secured.
Even if manager Fredi Gonzalez already made it fairly clear that Peterson would be the opening-day second baseman.
“Oh, I don’t assume anything,” Peterson said Sunday in his Louisiana drawl. “I haven’t won anything yet. I’m still here competing, and like all the other guys I’ve still got to play the game and play hard every day. When camp’s all said and done and it’s over, I’ll be where I’m at.
“Whether I’m in the bigs or I’m in Triple-A or wherever I’m at, I’m going to play and compete and just continue to get better. To me, that’s what you’ve got to do — you’ve got to get better, you’ve got to keep working on your craft.”
That attitude is one reason that everyone’s been so impressed by Peterson, 24, one of four prospects the Braves got from the Padres in the January trade for Justin Upton. He’s the only one of those prospects currently in major league camp.
It wouldn’t matter so much that he’s hungry to succeed and works hard if Peterson wasn’t also a good player, and in that regard he’s met or surpassed expectations, offensively and defensively. He ranked among Grapefruit League leaders in batting average (.351, 13-for-37), OBP (.442), runs (eight) and walks (six) before Sunday, when he was out of the lineup with an infected finger that got stepped on last week.
Peterson had two of four hits that Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright allowed in four innings Saturday, when the second baseman also made consecutive highlight-reel defensive plays in the first inning. He caught barehanded a toss from shortstop Andrelton Simmons and rifled a throw to first to beat Jason Heyward for a 6-4-3 double play.
“Just kind of a reaction thing,” Peterson said. “I just try to put together who’s running, got to get rid of it quick if you want to try to turn it.
Next up was Matt Holliday, who hit a grounder that Peterson fielded with a backhanded stop behind second base, and threw from his knees to first for the out.
“The reports say (Peterson) is a pretty good athlete,” Gonzalez said. “Early in camp we played him a little at shortstop; we know he can do that if we want to run him out there when we need to give Simmons a day off. I think (for now) we’re going to leave him at second, just don’t mess with him hitting-wise, leave him at second base, let him get his reps there.
“He made a nice play, caught it barehanded with Heyward running. It’s nice to see his development over there.”
Peterson, a former defensive back on the football team at McNeese State University, made those plays Saturday despite the injured pinkie on his throwing hand. He had the finger wrapped heavily and was out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, but Peterson was confident the injury wouldn’t be a lingering issue. He played eight of the previous nine games.
“It’s fine,” said Peterson, still on the travel schedule for Monday’s game against the Astros, a sign it wasn’t a big concern.
With 12 games left before the Braves break camp and head to Miami, Peterson is likely to play in most. Gonzalez wants him to keep getting reps alongside shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who missed the first two weeks of camp for an oblique strain. They’re expected to be the Braves’ middle-infield tandem when the season begins April 6 at Miami.
Peterson played in 24 games (18 starts) for the Padres last season in his first major league stint, going 6-for-53 (.113). He hit .307 with a .402 OBP and 33 extra-base hits (six triples, three homers) in 86 games in the high minor leagues last year, and the Braves think he’ll be closer to those numbers than what he produced in his big-league callup.
Peterson was asked about the possibility of being in the opening-day lineup at Miami. He said he’s just taking things one day at a time and not looking that far ahead, but acknowledged it would be a thrill to be introduced on opening day in a big league ballpark.
“Oh, no doubt,” he said. “Absolutely it would be. But like I said, we’ll take it one day at a time and see where I end up.”
