Peters posting career numbers with Durham Bulls

Winnipeg Free Press

5 days ago

Tristan Peters is flourishing in the Tampa Bay Rays system.
Earlier this week, the Winkler product — who is posting career numbers for the Durham Bulls of the AAA International League — came up with his latest web gem, leaping above the wall in centre field to rob an opponent of a home run.
This is the type of play that has Peters among the top outfield prospects for the Rays.
Gerald Herbert / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winkler's Tristan Peters is posting career numbers for the Durham Bulls of the AAA International League, the Durham, N.C., located affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
'I've been working on it a lot,' Peters said in a telephone interview from Georgia, where the Bulls were set to face the Gwinnett Stripers. 'Especially with reaction time with my first step. Those plays are a lot of fun to make. There's a lot of opportunities in centre field to make those plays.'
Peters, 25, has been making a lot of them this season, including a diving, highlight-reel grab in the right-centre field gap — a catch that caught the attention of many as it made the rounds.
Like many ball players, Peters grew up as an infielder but he's adapted nicely to roaming the outfield.
'I was always a shortstop growing up in Winkler,' said Peters, who played in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League with the Pembina Valley Orioles. 'Starting as a shortstop, you're usually more of an athletic player, so you can play anywhere. It made my transition to the outfield a lot easier when I was in high school. I played a little bit of infield in junior college.
'Centre field is where I've landed this year. I've proven that I can play that at a really high level, but I'm also very capable in the corners as well. I like the aspect of being in charge in the outfield, moving people around if we need to. We've got a solid outfield here. I don't often have to do that. They know what they're doing. I do like the amount of freedom that I have. I have priority over the ball, too. I like it a lot.'
Asked if there was any correlation between his vertical jump and his ability on the basketball court, Peters provided a harsh scouting report.
'I'd have to say that basketball was my worst sport,' he said. 'I'm not very good at it.'
Originally chosen in the seventh round of the MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Peters has taken significant strides offensively.
Going into weekend action, Peters was hitting .289 with 24 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 57 RBI, 11 stolen bases and has a .376 on-base percentage through 101 games.
Many of those numbers already represent career-bests, with other marks about to be replaced in the coming days and weeks during the stretch run.
'I've been feeling good in the box. Just relaxed,' said Peters, noting he had a strong month in June. 'As for the power numbers, I haven't intentionally been trying to hit homers. I've been sticking to my game plan. Just hitting the ball to all fields. The path of my swing has helped to increase some of those home run numbers.'
Given the increased importance on power and hitting the ball out of the park, Peters admitted he went through a challenging stretch last season, but he's done a good job of finding the balance — thanks to an improved approach at the plate.
'I did kind of sacrifice my average last year for power or what I thought would be more power and I found that I didn't hit many more homers last year than I did the previous year,' said Peters. 'Swinging for the fences, for me, just took away from my game more than it added. Having my all-fields approach has helped me to hit home runs to all fields as well. With where my swing is at, I have a better launch angle for more consistent homers and doubles and stuff like that.'
Now in his third major league organization, Peters is enjoying the familiarity of being in the Rays system for a third consecutive season — including a second campaign with the Bulls, a historic franchise that was featured in the movie Bull Durham.
'Starting as a shortstop, you're usually more of an athletic player, so you can play anywhere. It made my transition to the outfield a lot easier when I was in high school.' – Tristan Peters
'It's pretty surreal,' said Peters, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in November of 2022. 'I'm very fortunate to be able to play there. It's an iconic team, because of the movie and the city is so great. We live right by the ball field, so we walk there every day. It's a fantastic setup. I'm very grateful to be able to play here.'
Peters was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training this spring and among the highlights for him were hitting his first spring homer off Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Matt Seelinger on Feb. 27 and suiting up in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 9 at the Blue Jays complex at Dunedin, Fla.
The Blue Jays were Peters's favourite team growing up and watching the playoff runs in 2015 and 2016 helped increase his passion for baseball.
'It definitely did. That was such a great team to watch and it made me want to get out there and play more,' said Peters. 'The team has changed a lot since the teams I watched growing up. But everything about the Blue Jays, seeing the uniforms and playing against them was super cool. Then watching the broadcast after, that was really fun to hear my name on the Blue Jays broadcast.
'I hope to play against them in the big leagues one day as well.'
It's impossible to know when that moment might come, but Peters is well on his way to being the first Manitoban to play in the majors since Corey Koskie of Anola retired.
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'I mean, obviously I would love to get called up tomorrow if I could — or today,' said Peters. 'A September call-up is realistic, at least, but you never know. We've got a really solid outfield group up there, so I'll try and do my thing and wherever that takes me, it takes me.'
Peters would also love to connect with Koskie at some point, to exchange stories about the journey and to bond over their small-town roots.
'I know who he is, but I've never been able to watch him or met him or anything,' said Peters. 'I think that would be really cool, being able to connect over where we're from.'
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Ken WiebeReporter
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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