Atlanta Braves Should Put Jace All Over The Place

Ozainho Albies.

Rio Ruiz.

Dansby Swanson.

That’s allegedly the 4-5-6 of the future for the Atlanta Braves, in some order. You’ll note that Jace Peterson’s name is not on the list.

We don’t know what the 26-year old Peterson’s ceiling is… yet. He wasn’t very good last season, hitting .239, but almost by default he’s the Braves second-best infielder because Definitely Getting Traded, Possibly Before You Read This Erick Aybar and Adonis Garcia or Hector Olivera (and his adventures in fielding) are slated to hold down the left side opposite Peterson and Freddie Freeman.

Yet as early as 2017, Peterson could find himself without a regular position. How best for Fredi Gonzalez to utilize young Jace in our Season of Minor League Box Score Checking? As the AJC’s David O’Brien points out, Peterson has been getting looks all over the ballpark during the spring, as Fredi looks to utilize his youngster and fit in several other players across the diamond.

#JaceOnBase was a popular thing last season, mostly because it rhymed but occasionally because it was true; other struggles aside, Peterson managed solid on-base marks in May (.351) and June (.362) before tailing off drastically (.293 OBP after the All-Star break). He struck out a lot (120 total, roughly 20 percent of his at-bats) but he was also a rookie somehow thrust into the leadoff role for the season’s majority.

With Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis projected as the top-two in 2016 and Albies and Mallex Smith on the horizon, Peterson’s lead-off days are over. He fits best lower in the order, around seventh (where he got precisely 65 at-bats last year but exhibited a .397 OBP), where he can flash his skills as a bunter and pitch-taker to milk at-bats in the bottom part of the order.

That solves the easy part—where to hit him. But where to play him is another matter entirely.

Peterson owned second base last season, but either Swanson or Albies is taking that in the future. And so, I offer a modest proposal on the back of O’Brien’s musings on Jace’s future in a utility role:

Jace Peterson never plays the same position in back-to-back games in 2016.

By my figuring, Freeman is the only Braves regular in 2016 who I will set in stone as a regular by 2018. And that offers some freedom to guys like Jace Peterson, who are good enough to be in the mix as an Evolutionary Mark Lemke by that point but has to find a home around a crowded, talented infield.

So… on Opening Day, pencil Peterson in at second base—his home for all of last season. Then move him to third for the second game. Then left field. Then shortstop. Then center field (I don’t think he has the rocket-launcher arm people are looking for in a right fielder).

And round and round the diamond he’ll go.

My argument in four parts:

• He graded out as a top-10 defensive second baseman in 2015 among qualified players (2.1 Ultimate Zone Rating, 31 plays made graded Remote/Impossible by Fangraphs) in certain areas as a rookie, so he doesn’t need to refine his craft there. He’s already good if Swanson, Albies, etc., were to go down with injury—he could step in immediately.
• If he’s considered the better player over Albies, Swanson, Rio and/or Olivera at the end of 2018, it won’t really matter because it means everyone involved in decision-making (Fredi, Coppy, John Hart) is probably out of a job. Forget 2016; if they want to be good later like they claim, turning Peterson into Super-Utility Man is for the best.
• One place Peterson struggled was plays out of the zone, making 39 OOZ plays in 2015, tied for 19^th in baseball. At the hot corner, there’s a lot less ranging left or right and a lot more reacting to balls at you. He could make an excellent third-sacker, and he’ll almost certainly be as good defensively as Olivera, Garcia, Kelly Johnson or (shudder) Gordon Beckham.
• The Braves farm system is littered with promising infielders—if Ruiz, Swanson and/or Albies falter, the Braves still have Austin Riley, Johan Camargo, Derian Cruz and Juan Yepez to fall back on. The cupboard is more bare in the outfield—Mallex Smith is considered something of a sure thing, but questions abound regarding Braxton Davidson, Dustin Peterson, Isranel Wilson and scores of others. For an everyday slot, learning to play a solid left or centerfield may be the Braves best chance to get Peterson into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Next: SunTrust Park Dimensions Revealed

Jace Peterson, Slightly Above Replacement Level Second Baseman (his 2015-17 WAR numbers/projections according to Baseball Prospectus: 1.0, 1.5, 1.0) does nothing for the Braves. Jace Peterson, The Swiss Army Knife of Ballplayers opens up lots of intriguing possibilities. 2016 is the time for experiments. Let’s turn Jace into a guinea pig. Science! But for baseball.