David Peralta can really swing the bat

Jul 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks batter David Peralta hits an RBI triple in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Before the 2014 season began, if you would have told General Manager Kevin Towers and Manager Kirk Gibson that David Peralta would be up in the majors and contributing in mid July, he would have laughed it off. The outfield was pretty much set in spring training with Mark Trumbo in left field, A.J Pollack in center field, and Gerardo Parra in right field, and Cody Ross provided depth. The Diamondbacks in no way needed another outfielder.

Now we are in mid July and the Snakes are dealing with a completely different situation. Injuries to Trumbo, Pollack, and Ross have forced the Dbacks to call up minor leaguers to step up and fill the void. One guy has clearly stood out and that guy is David Peralta.

Since coming up from Double A Mobile and making his big league debut on June 1st against the Giants, he has done nothing but hit. Since his call up he leads all rookies with a .331 average and is third in hits with 40.  This guy can flat out swing the bat, and its a treat to watch every one of this guy’s at bats.

Gibson talked about Peralta’s bat with MLB.com: “He’s got a good swing path,” D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. “He’s very short to the ball, he swings down through the ball. You don’t see him dipping like you see some guys do. He stays pretty short, he’s aggressive, he recognizes the ball pretty good.”

First basemen Paul Goldschmidt talked about Peralta’s surprising contributions: “He’s done a lot of good things,” first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. “He works hard, he plays hard. He’s always doing early work, I see him out in the outfield working with [outfield coach] Dave McKay working on stuff.”

What is most surprising is that Peralta was a pitching prospect until a couple of years ago when he decided to convert to the outfield. He has great range  and speed in the outfield which makes him valuable defensively as well. If he continues to play well he defiantly deserves to be considered for Rookie of the year, and he has to be in consideration for an outfield spot in 2015.

I never would have thought that Peralta would be apart of the Dbacks core going forward, but so far, in a short amount of time, he has earned it.