Blue Jays should take chance on Mariners former first rounder
The Toronto Blue Jays should consider taking a chance on former first round pick D.J. Peterson who was designated earlier this week by the Mariners and could probably benefit from a change of scenery and second chance with a new organization.
D.J. Peterson came with all the hype when he was selected 12th overall in the 2013 amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners. The prospect was at one time heralded as the 85th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America but his career sputtered as he climbed the minor league ranks never earning the promotion to the bigs.
The 25-year old was slashing .264/.323/.414 with 12 home runs and 6 stolen bases in 103 games with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. The corner infielder has split time between both first and third base this season for Tacoma.
Peterson experienced his best campaign in 2014 between High-A and Double-A where he batted .297 with 31 round trippers in 123 minor league games.
The Mariners designated Peterson for assignment so the former prospect could be had via waivers or trade. He would be a low risk, high reward candidate and at the very least a depth player with the herd in Buffalo if the change of scenery does not kick start a new lease on life.
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The Blue Jays have a great track record with late bloomers and reclamation projects in the form of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Justin Smoak, Chris Colabello and even to some extent Josh Donaldson who did not have his breakout season with the A’s until age 27.
With the Jays lineup and team direction in flux, never a bad idea to stockpile talent. So who knows perhaps a fresh perspective and a keen eye from a new set of coaches can be just was Peterson needs to get over the hump and reach his full potential in a Blue Jays uniform.