Detroit Tigers: Jhonny Peralta worth flier as potential depth piece

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1Apr 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta (27) hits an infield single against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers infielders have enjoyed a solid season so far in 2017, but the team could use some depth. Old friend Jhonny Peralta recently became available, and is a potential fit.

Detroit Tigers fans have seen Nicholas Castellanos get off to a slow start in 2017. The third baseman entered Sunday with a .229 batting average and a .713 OPS.

Some of his low numbers can probably be attributed to a .289 BABIP.

Castellanos is in no way in danger of losing his job given the lack of options behind him, but a turnaround from the infielder would certainly help the Tigers.

Jose Iglesias was in a somewhat similar situation up until recently when he used a 15-game tear (23-for-60, 12 runs scored, eight RBI, seven extra-base hits) to bump his average up to .261.

Dixon Machado could conceivably stepped in for Iglesias given the duo’s similar skillsets. However, it would have left Andrew Romine as the only infielder on the bench.

Like Machado, Romine could step in and start on a consistent basis. Truth be told, the veteran brings more value in a reserve role given his versatility than in a starting role.

So who would be the next man up in any potential scenario where an injury befalls one or more of Castellanos, Iglesias, Machado or Romine?

In terms of infielders capable of playing the left side of the infield, Omar Infante, Brendan Ryan and Michael Almanzar are all available in Triple-A.

Infante and Ryan both have on-base percentages below .300 this year with the Mud Hens, while Almanzar owns a .299 career on-base percentage.

One player who makes sense as a potential addition to the mix to improve Detroit’s infield depth is Jhonny Peralta.

Jun 3, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta (27) hits a single during the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

Past form

According to a tweet from the St. Louis Cardinals’ official Twitter account, the former Tiger has been designated for assignment.

St. Louis’ official Twitter account tweeted:

“John Mozeliak has announced that Kolten Wong has been activated from the disabled list. Jhonny Peralta has been designated for assignment.”

Peralta is not what he used to be offensively. The veteran is batting just .204 with a .459 OPS and a 28 wRC+ in 54 at-bats this season.

While Peralta hasn’t notched a wRC+ north of 100 since 2015, he would still be a vast improvement over Detroit’s current reserve infield options.

Other options

Omar Infante turned in a strong Spring Training for Detroit, and while’s batted .269, his OPS sits at just .627.

Meanwhile, Ryan is more of a defensive specialist, which the Tigers already have three of in Iglesias, Machado and Romine. The former Mariner is batting .184 with a .557 OPS for the Mud Hens.

Rounding out the list is Almanzar, a 26-year-old third baseman who has flashed some pop in the last few years with Baltimore’s Triple-A squad.

However, the infielder hasn’t yet seen action at the Major League level, and is batting .250 with a .693 OPS with nine extra-base hits in 37 games.

Additionally, with the Detroit Tigers looking to build for the future, it would be difficult for the team to find a solid injury-fill in on the trade market.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Peralta is a lifetime .285 hitter with a .784 OPS at Comerica Park

Mar 22, 2017; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta (27) connects for a double against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Jhonny Peralta’s potential role with the 2017 Detroit Tigers

In this hypothetical scenario as a depth piece, Peralta would only be leaned on should the need arise.

As a part-time fill in, there’s some reason to believe he could regain his form—especially at Comerica Park, where the 35-year-old is a lifetime .285 hitter with a .784 OPS in 1,143 plate appearances.

Seeing as he is 35, Peralta wouldn’t exactly be a long-term fit in Detroit. However, the potential is there for him to contribute should Detroit take a flier on him.

The Tigers have had plenty of success in 2017 with players general manager Al Avila took fliers on.

Jim Adduci (0.7 WAR, seven RBI and six extra-base hits in 49 plate appearances), John Hicks (135 wRC+, 12 RBI, four doubles and three home runs in 50 plate appearances) and Alex Presley (six runs scored, four RBI, two stolen bases in 57 plate appearances) have all made an instant impact offensively.

It may be worth it to take a flier on Peralta to see if he can do the same as a depth piece.

Next: Tigers need another setup option to pair with Shane Greene, Alex Wilson

He certainly has the experience, and a return to his old stomping grounds in the Motor City could prove to be beneficial for the veteran.

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Detroit Tigers infielders have enjoyed a solid season so far in 2017, but the team could use some depth. Old friend Jhonny Peralta recently became available, and is a potential fit.

Past form

Other options

Jhonny Peralta’s potential role with the 2017 Detroit Tigers

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