Peters one phone call away from MLB Winkler product advances to Tampa Bay’s AAA affiliate By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:22 PM CDT Thursday, Jun. 13, 2024

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This article was published 13/06/2024 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tristan Peters is one phone call away from his big-league baseball dreams coming true.

The 24-year-old left-fielder from Winkler, speaking with the Free Press by phone on Thursday, admits the thought has crossed his mind a time or two in recent weeks.

“It’s super cool to think about,” he said of an MLB promotion.

Peters, who is in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, is currently taking his swings with the Durham Bulls in Triple-A. That’s a significant jump for a guy who finished up his college career in Southern Illinois (2021), made his pro debut in Single-A (2022), advanced to Double-A in 2022 and spent all of 2023 at that level.

“A super big step. It’s really awesome to be here,” said Peters.

So far, so good. The 6-foot, 180-pound lefty is batting .245 with six home runs, 11 doubles, two triples, 27 RBI and six stolen bases through 57 games. His 46 hits are fourth-best on the Bulls, while he ranks second in RBI, sixth in homers, first in triples, third in doubles and second in stolen bags on his squad, which sits middle-of-the-pack (11th of 20 teams) at 31-34.

All this while being one of the youngest, most inexperienced players on the roster.

“I think I’ve added some power,” said Peters, who had seven home runs at Double-A last year in 93 games.

“We’ve changed some things with my swing. I’m just working on kind of finding that balance. I think I’ve had to sacrifice some things for that power. I’m not too sure that’s exactly what I want. Just trying to find a better balance. But I’m feeling good.”

Peters noted his swing-and-miss rate has jumped, a product of trying to increase bat speed and exit velocity and launch angle — all the things which are now so important for modern-day ball players. He’s whiffed 51 times so far this year — after just 66 last season — which is second-most on the team.

“You’ve got guys going up and down constantly. We’ve got six-year, seven-year big leaguers on our team.”–Tristan Peters

“It’s definitely where the game is at right now,” he said. “I’ve had to change a little bit of the kind of the hitter I am. I used to be more for average, and less strikeouts. So that’s kind of what you have to sacrifice to get some more power.”

Chalk it all up to growing pains, but no doubt the Rays must like what they’re seeing from a player originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round in 2021, then obtained by trade in the winter of 2022.

Peters is trying to be a sponge, soaking up as much wisdom as he can while on a team loaded with veteran players who have MLB experience.

“You’ve got guys going up and down constantly. We’ve got six-year, seven-year big leaguers on our team. It’s completely different,” he said.

“It’s really cool to see and be around that maturity.”

One of those mentors is his current teammate and roommate Rob Brantly, who has played parts of eight seasons in the majors with the Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and, most recently, the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old catcher is now an insurance policy on the farm for the Rays.

“He’s our oldest player in the organization, including the big leagues. He’s been around the game a long time, so I like to talk to him,” said Peters. “And he’s become a good friend, too.”

Peters is also getting used to a lot more eyes on him at this level, which began when he was a full participant in Tampa’s spring training. The organization is renowned for having one of the best development systems in all of MLB.

“We changed a lot of stuff in my swing. It was like a lot of practice kind of time, just getting ready for the season. I didn’t do super great in it, but we were obviously working on things. That was part of the process,” he said.

“They’re definitely watching more. We’ve got co-ordinators and guys higher up in the front office coming to watch games and coming on the road. They’re constantly with us. We don’t really ever not have them here.”

Only a handful of Manitobans have ever made it to the big-leagues. Corey Koskie of Anola is the most recent example, playing for eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers before concussion-related issues cut his career short. Koskie was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Peters, a former Team Manitoba star headed west to play for the Okotoks Dawgs Academy and was the Canadian rookie of the year and playoff MVP for the 2019 season in the Western Canadian Baseball League before going south to college, is one of two current local products in MLB systems.

Winnipegger Ben Onyshko, who was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 24th round in 2018, is in his third full season of Double-A with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. The 26-year-old left-handed relief pitcher has appeared in 77 games at that level, including three starts, with a 4-3 record and 5.17 ERA.

After playing last year in Alabama with the Montgomery Biscuits, Peters is loving his new sporting home in North Carolina — even if he hopes his stay won’t be a long one.

“It is really awesome. The stadium is unlike any other minor league stadium I’ve played in. The fans are incredible. It gets really loud here,” he said.

“The backdrop of the stadium is beautiful. It’s just a fun place to play. And then the league itself is pretty good, too.”

Indeed, adjusting to a higher calibre of play, including pitching, is all part of the growing pains. Peters hopes to keep building on what he’s done so far this season with an even better second-half.

“The pitchers themselves, their stuff isn’t much better than Double-A. I think guys in Double-A are really good pitchers. It’s just they’re more mature up here, they know how a hitter thinks, they know what to throw and where to throw it. They’re more accurate. I think that’s what makes them better,” he said.

“Personally, I’d like to cut down my strikeouts the next half, while maintaining some of that power. And just being a little more consistent.”

Keep it up and Peters will want to make sure to keep his phone charged and nearby at all times.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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