Atlanta Braves Jace Peterson Looking To Regain His Position

Atlanta Braves positional players aren’t required to report to Orlando, Florida until February 24th, but Jace Peterson has already arrived.  Peterson, Rio Ruiz, Dansby Swanson and Hector Olivera are the positional players that have already shown up for the Braves.

Jace went to high school at Hamilton Christian Academy in Lake Charles, Louisiana and then attended college at McNeese State University…yep, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Peterson was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2011 draft in the supplemental first round and 58th overall.  He stayed with the Padres organization until December 19, 2014 when he was traded along with Max Fried, Dustin Peterson and Mallex Smith to the Braves for Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft.

After drafted, he struggled in his first season with the Padres Single-A- team – hitting only .243 for his first professional season.  He struggled once again in his first season in Atlanta.  Peterson hasn’t played with many organizations and may just have been fragile with a new one in 2015?

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The 25-year-old started off the 2015 season with consistent hitting and solid defensive play.  As the season went on, his stats dropped.  And dropped considerably.

Later, news came out that Peterson was playing most of the second half of the 2015 season with a thumb injury.  He actually injured his thumb in late May.  A nagging thumb injury will definitely impact a batters swing at the plate.

With a healthy thumb, will Jace Peterson be a different player in 2016?  We’ll soon find out, but he told 680 the Fan’s Kevin McAlpin at the Wild World of Sports on Saturday that his thumb was feeling good.

Many have talked this offseason about what the Braves will do with the second base job in 2016.  I don’t think we should count out Peterson.  His effort on the field, his defensive talent and his approach at the plate are many reasons to cheer on Peterson.

The Braves offseason signing of hometown talent, Gordon Beckman hasn’t helped Peterson’s case for securing the job.  Also, the Braves signed Emilio Bonifacio and Kelly Johnson who can both compete for the second base job during Spring Training.  Will this help or hurt Peterson?  From what he told McAlpin, it sounds like it may help him.

I can’t say how much I love this approach from Jace…yes, it’s probably a cliché, but I still believe he impresses during these spring months.

We’ll soon find out though, right?  It’s baseball season y’all!!!