Dustin Peterson’s first major-league appearance lasted around 48 hours, but those two days with the Braves represent a fraction of the right fielder’s aspirations.
“It was awesome,” he said before suiting up for the Gwinnett Stripers’ game against the Toledo Mud Hens on Wednesday. “It was everything I expected. My family got to make it out. My brother, who plays baseball as well, got to make it out, so that was pretty awesome. Just the whole experience — I was just full of energy the entire weekend I was there. It was everything I dreamed of.”
While returning to the Triple-A Stripers after stepping up to the plate at SunTrust Park might feel like waking up from a sweet dream, Peterson believes he can make it back to the bigs if he remembers what got him there in the first place: “swinging the bat and playing solid defense.”
“I don’t feel like I have to prove anything,” he said. “At this point, I feel like I’ve already showed what I am, the type of player I am and the capability I have. I feel like I’ve done enough to show and put it in their eyes what I can do at the big league.”
Peterson’s 2016 stats with Double-A Mississippi, including a .282 batting average and a .431 slugging percentage, resulted in recognition like the Hank Aaron Award for the Braves’ Minor League Player of the Year, but a broken bone in his left hand interrupted what might have been a swift climb to the majors.
“Surgery last year was definitely a setback. It put me out, and it was tough coming back from that,” he said when asked about difficulties along the way. “I wasn’t strong. I wasn’t healthy. Even when I came back, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t all the way there. I really worked on my strength this offseason to maintain, get strong, (be in) good health and prepare myself for this season.”
One thing Peterson continues to work on is getting back into the “rhythm” he had while playing everyday, but struggled to consistently recapture after the injury.
Limited to 87 games during the 2017 season, Peterson slashed .248/.318./.318. Forty-two games into 2018, he sits at .227/.280/.374.
“Right now, he just needs to get back to the basics and work the ball more in the middle of the field than trying to launch the ball out of the ballpark,” Stripers’ hitting coach John Moses said when asked what Peterson could improve to make the leap back to the Braves’ roster.
“He’s kind of hit a little bit of a tough path,” Moses continued. “He’s not giving himself a chance to hit right now. … He’s got all the tangibles to get back up there in the big leagues.”
In his past 35 at-bats, Peterson has managed only four hits for a .114 average, but with some adjustments, Moses thinks the 23-year-old can “can get up (to the major leagues) sooner than later.”
Neither knows when or if Peterson will get called up again, but an additional outfielder the Braves picked up in the second round of the draft may result in another obstacle on Peterson’s path back to SunTrust Park. Greyson Jenista impressed scouting director Brian Bridges with his size and speed, and the left-handed hitter could be the next in line for a spot in the outfield.
Despite facing hurdles like new competition, hitting slumps or injuries, Peterson still has his eyes on a September call-up.
“I’m going to compete and do everything I can,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
If things go his way, Peterson’s family might have to make more last-minute flights to Atlanta in the future. But until then, he’ll try to make enough noise in Lawrenceville to attract the attention of the major league team 40 miles away.
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