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Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects: #22 Dustin Peterson

By Benjamin Chase

Mar 21, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Bats sit in the dugout prior to the gamr between the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Bats sit in the dugout prior to the gamr between the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A general view as fans enjoy the sunshine during the spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A general view as fans enjoy the sunshine during the spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves Outfielder Dustin Peterson

Who Is He?

Dustin Peterson was the 2nd round selection in the 2013 draft by the San Diego Padres out of high school in Arizona. His draft season, he debuted for the Padres Arizona Rookie League team, and he hit .293/.337/.344 with a 9/33 BB/K ratio over 172 plate appearances while playing third base.

The Padres skipped him up to full season ball in 2014, sending him to Fort Wayne in the Midwest League of class A ball. Over 563 plate appearances, he hit .233/.274/.361 with 10 home runs and 31 doubles and a 25/137 BB/K ratio. At issue, however, were his 38 (!!) errors on defense at third base.

Next: Peterson's scouting report

The Braves acquired Peterson as part of the Justin Upton trade in December of 2014, and they moved him to the outfield and sent him to the Carolina League as one of the youngest players in the league. He worked in the spring on re-vamping his swing and his approach, and before the Carolina bus crash, his new swing had him hitting tremendously with a .314/.392/.448 line on the day of the bus crash with 3 home runs and a 14/21 BB/K ratio over 120 PA, nearly twice the walk rate he’d had ever before. After the crash, his swing never looked right the rest of the season, even though he continued playing through sometimes very obvious pain. His overall line on the season was .251/.317/.348 with 8 home runs and 6 stolen bases over 498 plate appearances with a 44/91 BB/K ratio. Even with the struggles after the crash, Peterson ended the season with a walk rate of 8.8% and a strikeout rate of 18.3%. The walk rate was exactly double his previous season’s rate, and his strikeout rate was a full 6% lower than the previous season. He also received rave reviews for his play in left field.

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