Cheaper than Bumgarner and Montgomery, but still frustrating.
- Rating: 2.23
- 2024 stats: 14 G, 22 AB, .045/.154/.045, -40 OPS+, -0.6 bWAR: all of this nothing translates to 1 hit and 3 base on balls. Also achieved 2 runs.
- Date of birth: May 9, 1990 (34 years old)
- 2024 earnings: $5,000,000 (via Spotrac). $3MM paid by Diamondbacks, $2MM paid by Athletics.
- 2025 status: free agent, will probably retire.
I didn’t remember he survived the 2023 season and travelled all the way to the World Series.
I didn’t remember he was part of the 2024 Diamondbacks.
I didn’t remember I wrote an article on him after the Diamondbacks released him in April 2024.
Introduction
mcbenseigs told us all we need to know about Peterson’s path to the majors in his 2023 player review of Jace Peterson: a 2011 athletic compensatory first-round pick who made his major league debut in 2014 for the Padres before being shipped to Atlanta in a Justin Upton trade. He gets lots of opportunities on a rebuilding Braves squad, but isn’t until the 2020 season, which is a useless season when it comes to evaluating players and teams, that Peterson actually posts a positive OPS+ for the first time in his career, at the age of 30.
In 2021 and 2022 he has below average but career best seasons of his career in Milwaukee, including a 2.2 bWAR in 2022 because of good defence at 3B. The Oakland Athletics incomprehensibly reward it with a 2 year $9,500,000 contract.
Peterson’s performance for the A’s is pretty rough with a .221/.313/.324 line. Pretty much a sunk cost on a very losing team, until the Diamondbacks come along, looking for an extra lefty platoon bat at 3B, with some versatility, after trading away Josh Rojas in the Paul Sewald trade.
Well, we all know what happened there: things were only going to get rougher for Peterson and the Diamondbacks. Like he was Daniel-San in The Karate Kid, Peterson tried to hit the ball with chop sticks, though he was never able to snap it: Jace wrapped up the regular season with a woeful .183/.276/.258. He was then a late addition to the Wild Card roster because of an injury to Jake McCarthy, stayed with the team for the NLDS but got bumped from the NLCS roster. He then remarkably made the World Series roster and wasn’t even that bad with with a hit and 3 walks in 5 plate appearances.
Still, his presence on the team was probably motivated more because of financial reasons than anything else.
2024 review
Well, not much can be said about Peterson’s 2024 season. He was obviously part of the opening day roster and was able to hung around until April 19, when he was designated for assignment after Jordan Montgomery, yet another financial disaster, was called up to the majors after his “extended Spring Training”. Peterson had gotten just one hit until that moment, ending his tenure with the Diamondbacks with a .157/.252/.217 in 132 plate appearances for the Snakes. But instead of using my own words to give a final evaluation of Jace Peterson, let me use those of a commenter on my goodbye article:
I am going to try and keep this short because the Jace Peterson trade angered me very badly. And he did exactly what Jace Peterson does. Suck so bad. There was no reason to ever trade for him plus he was on a multi year multi million dollar contract. Straight up robbery. Not even sure why the Oakland A’s gave him that kind of deal when they don’t want to spend any money at all.
If anyone has watched Jace Peterson even play the field for all these years. He is not good. I don’t care what the metrics say. I’ve personally seen this guy be a terrible defender.
He also has never had even an OK offensive season. He should be in the low minors at best.
The Dbacks could’ve added anyone but him last trade deadline. But they chose the worst along with taking on alot of his current contract even though they didn’t give up much. But would’ve kept Patrick over him any day.
Ahmed was definitely screwed. His offense is up and down but his defense is still very good.
Now this year comes along and they now have him playing SS. I mean is this a big joke. He can’t even field his ‘natural position’ but they want to make him the backup SS. Laughable. Also Rivera going for backup SS was laughable too. But Rivera is a far superior hitter and defender. Rivera was screwed this Spring Training as well…Jace Peterson and whoever was in love with him really screwed up.
Spring Training numbers can mean nothing. But they thought because Peterson having ok Spring Training numbers means he makes the team. Add to the list Elvis Andrus a true SS, veteran All-Star who just 2 seasons ago hit almost 20 bombs was given a few games to ‘prove’ himself and he was canned. Also Newman was screwed as well as they originally got rid of him but he came back on a minors deal, probably knowing he was going to play for the Dbacks early on.
So glad Jace Peterson is finally gone. Don’t want to hear about the left handed bat crap either. He can’t hit anything. His stats don’t lie. His play doesn’t lie.
This all could’ve been avoided but FINALLY moving on!!!
Sorry it ended up being a long post.
gttarheelz32 comment on my farewall piece of Jace Peterson, April 25, 2024
Because it is so easy to highlight his achievements of the 2024 season (a hit and a sac fly), I will share the video with you again, just like I did in my article:
2025 outlook
After getting designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks and released a week later, Jace Peterson wasn’t picked up by any other team and that won’t happen in 2025 either. Nor does Peterson need it. After wrapping up his 2024 contract, Peterson’s career earnings are a nice $14,821,381, to which the Diamondbacks have contributed $4,650,028 for what were essentially 3 months of major league baseball in a Diamondbacks shirt: $2,391,443 for the 18 hits, $930,006 for the 7 runs and $1,328,579 for the 10 RBI. How about that for stats.