Brewers Reportedly Sign Slugging 1B Dustin Peterson To Minors Deal

The Milwaukee Brewers have reportedly added some more corner infield depth to the organization.

Man, the hot stove is boiling hot for the Brewers this offseason! First, the Brewers sign third baseman Zach Green to a minors deal and now they’ve reportedly signed first baseman Dustin Peterson to a minor league deal as well.

This is according to a report from Ana Soriano, a sports journalist in Mexico.

Peterson is currently leading the Mexican Winter League in home runs with 11 so far this season.

Who Is Dustin Peterson?

Peterson, 26, was a 2nd round pick of the Padres back in 2013, but he hasn’t really been able to make his mark in the big leagues. Through 46 career big league at-bats, Peterson has a .217 average, four doubles, no home runs, and 15 strikeouts. Most of those at-bats came with the 2019 Tigers.

In the minors and independent ball, however, Peterson has had more success. In 2020, he’s been on an offensive tear. He played independent ball this summer for the Sugar Land Skeeters and hit .309/.400/.500 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.

Currently, for Monterrey in the Mexican Winter League, Peterson is hitting .316/.373/.602 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in 37 games so far.

He’s a first baseman, and he can play a little bit of outfield as well. That kind of versatility also helps him win over the Brewers front office but given the lack of depth in the corner infield in the organization, first base might be where he can find the most playing time.

Since he’s signing a minor league contract, Peterson will not be put on the 40 man roster. He also did not get a spring training invite, which means he’ll start off in minor league camp.

If Peterson can continue with these power numbers and hit against big league pitching, he’s got a chance still. He’s only 26, and he’s been able to hit pretty well in the minor leagues to this point. He’s clearly made some adjustments and is hitting better than he ever has in 2020, and the Brewers will get the chance to see if that sticks against higher competition.

This is not the main answer at first base for the Brewers. Let’s make that clear. The Brewers are not pinning their entire first base hopes on Dustin Peterson. He’s a likely Triple-A first baseman that could maybe have a surprise camp or could come up in case of injury and fill in to a decent degree as someone with prior big league experience.

So far the Brewers have filled out the corner infield spots for Triple-A Nashville. At some point they’re going to have to fill out the corner spots in Milwaukee.