Reds Jose Peraza On Fire at the Plate: Waiver Wire Add?

After being recalled from the minors for the second time this season, Jose Peraza has been on fire at the plate for the Cincinnati Reds. But, is he now worth a waiver wire add?

The Cincinnati Reds are in the middle of a rebuild, and the results this season have reflected that. But, they do possess young and intriguing fantasy assets. One of those intriguing players that could have a big fantasy impact moving forward is, Jose Peraza.

The start of Jose Peraza’s career has been interesting, as he has bounced between three teams even though he has been lauded as one of the better prospects in all of baseball. The Venezuelan youngster is still only 22-years-old, so the room for development is obvious. But, in terms of his fantasy value moving forward, Peraza’s raw skill set can be impactful.

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Last season, Peraza made his MLB debut with the Dodgers, and could never get things going. After being shipped to the Reds in the offseason, the plan appeared to be for Peraza to take over at second base for Brandon Phillips. Yet, after Phillips blocked his potential trade, Peraza was once again blocked and without a clear path to the majors.

Peraza would make his way to the majors in May this season, and for the most part, his performance was rather pedestrian. The Reds would then demote him at the beginning of August, and to that point Peraza was only able to muster a, .250/1 HR/10 SB/.290 OBP line. He would stay in AAA for a little over two weeks, before being recalled after an injury to Zack Cozart.

Jose Peraza’s best skill, is his speed. He has a 64 SB campaign under his belt in the minors, and has already stolen 12 SB this season. His power is non-existent though, as his career high in HR is 4. Peraza does not swing and miss a lot, thanks to his ability to make consistent contact, but that also robs him of taking walks as well. Much like the blueprint with Billy Hamilton, the Reds are going to need Peraza to focus on becoming an on-base machine, in an effort to maximize his speed.

Whether it be that Peraza took his demotion to heart, or he just got locked in at the plate during his stint in the minors, Peraza looks like a man possessed at the plate right now. Since being recalled in August, he has gone 11 for 22 at the plate, knocked in four, stolen two bases, and has homered once. The power and run production is certainly a surprise, but it is nice to see him start notching extra base hits. His two steals were both in the same game, and out of his 14 attempts this season, he has been caught only twice.

Fantasy owners should make Peraza a must add for his stolen base potential and his multi position eligibility. He currently is the Reds’ starting shortstop, but he has also played at second and in the outfield. Cozart will make his return before the end of the season, but the Reds will make sure Peraza gets his playing time.

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Cincinnati has struggled this season, but Peraza is being slotted in the two hole between Billy Hamilton and the red-hot Joey Votto, so the counting stats are there. With steals down all across baseball, players like Peraza even worth even more due to the weekly advantage they could bring down the stretch. Make the move and ride Peraza while he is unconscious at the plate.

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