The Los Angeles Angels are still looking for a second baseman as Adam Frazier and Oswald Peraza compete for the job.
The Los Angeles Angels have had plenty of intriguing positional battles this spring training, and the fight to man second base on Opening Day has been one of the most unusual ones. Prospect Christian Moore was projected to be the starter, but new manager Kurt Suzuki didn’t like what he saw defensively from Moore, so he’s already been optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake.
That move created a vacuum that’s been filled by veteran Adam Frazier and Oswald Peraza, and Suzuki still hasn’t declared a winner with Opening Day against the Houston Astros approaching fast.
Their spring stats have been impressive, according to Jack Janes of MLB.com. Frazier has hit .300 with an OPS of .847, while Peraza is hitting .314 with a .901 OPS. Both of those numbers are surprising, especially Pereza’s given that he’s been a defense-first infielder so far in his career.
Suzuki hasn’t declared a winner yet, but he did indicate how he’ll approach the position and the two players, according to Janes.
“Not just necessarily offense,” Suzuki said about deciding who plays. “Peraza's tremendous defensively, and Frazier as well. They've got some experience. Frazier's got a lot of experience over there. We try to take everything into account, not just offense, but defense as well, and matchups, and maybe a guy needs a day off or something like that. So we'll take everything into account and make that decision.”
Suzuki didn’t mention age, but that’s also part of the equation here. Peraza is just 25, and if he has a breakout season offensively, he could stabilize the position and send Moore over to third base as a long-term replacement for Yoan Moncada.
Peraza has struggled to date offensively, however. He’s hitting just .189 in 524 plate appearances so far, which puts him in the 77th percentile in outs above average, Janes added. This could be a make-or-break year for him career-wise, as another year of struggles at the plate could relegate him to the role of backup or utility infielder.
Frazier, meanwhile, has definitely declined defensively. He’s still solid, though, which is one of the reasons Suzuki was quick to send Moore back to the minors for more seasoning. Frazier is also 34, so he's well into the back nine of his career.
Suzuki has also said he could go with whoever’s “hot right now,” but that’s not likely to last. The new manager has shown a tendency to emphasize defense, which isn’t surprising given his background as a big-league catcher for 16 years.
“At the end of the day, we're going to put the best team that we feel like gives us the best chance to win,” Suzuki said. “That might be Peraza. That might be Frazier. But they both had a great spring training, and right now, we feel real confident with either one of them out there.”