Dustin Peterson was acquired by the Braves alongside Mallex Smith, Max Fried and Jace Peterson in the deal that sent Justin Upton to San Diego, but was the least touted prospect of the coup we got in return. No, he isn’t related to Jace Peterson, but his brother is Mariners prospect D.J. Peterson, who is a consensus top 100 prospect around the league. However, Peterson is a nice prospect in his own right. A second round selection just two seasons ago, Peterson is one of the best positional prospects the Braves have in the system. The 20-year old was drafted as a shortstop and was converted to a third basemen by the Padres, but the Braves have since converted him to left field due to the vast amount of errors he was committing at the hot corner.
Peterson is one of the youngest players in A+ ball, but his statistics don’t show it. Last season he only hit .233, yet still knocked in 79 runs. So far this season he has hit .259 with 6 homers and 35 RBI. The home run stats don’t really do Peterson much justice. He definitely has power, and I expect the power numbers to increase as he goes through the system. He has reduced his strikeouts and brought up his average. He also missed time due to the Mudcats’ bus crash, and I’m sure the injuries he sustained have hampered his play some.
Peterson is still a few years away from being big league ready, and he and Braxton Davidson are similar prospects, so it will be interesting to see how these guys perform down on the farm in the coming years. If this kid can really grow into his power, he has a chance to be a really solid MLB player. Last season, Peterson fell off in the late months, so fans should hope that he can finish the 2015 campaign strong and work his way to Mississippi come April 2016. I have him ranked as the 11th best prospect in the organization, and being just 20 years old, he can really make his way up this list barring any setbacks.