Cincinnati Reds: José Peraza has caught fire and needs more playing time

José Peraza has been one of the Cincinnati Reds best hitters since July. David Bell needs to find more playing time for his 25-year-old utility player.

If you’ve read enough articles at Blog Red Machine, you know by now that I’m an unashamed fan of José Peraza. I think he’s one of the most underrated and under-appreciated players on the entire Cincinnati Reds roster. Well, after some early season struggles, it appears the 25-year-old is finally catching fire. David Bell needs to ride with Peraza’s hot hand.

I’ve heard a lot of fans say that this season has been unfair to José Peraza. I’m not big into the word fair, as I think it’s important to earn your keep. In professional sports, nothing is given to you and there’s always someone looking to take your job.

Well, that happened this year to Peraza. Once Scooter Gennett went down during Spring Training, the decision was made to take Peraza, who led the team in hits last season, and move him from shortstop to second base. José Iglesias took Peraza’s spot at shortstop.

Iglesias has dazzled both defensively and offensively since becoming a fixture in the Cincinnati Reds infield. The former Detroit Tiger makes unbelievable defensive plays night in and night out and has been the most clutch hitter in Cincinnati’s lineup this season.

Peraza, who I tabbed as the Reds’ breakout player this season, couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start to begin the 2019 season. Peraza was bounced all over the batting order, and ended the month of May with a .204 batting average. Peraza’s on-base percentage was sitting at .266, he’d struck out 27 times, and just looked lost at the plate.

By the end of May, it was hit or miss if we’d even see José Peraza in the lineup. Derek Dietrich was on a tear like no other, and there was no way that Bell could responsibly keep Dietz on the bench. Peraza began taking reps in left field as a right-handed alternative to Jesse Winker, switching from second base and a backup shortstop to Iglesias.

June was a bit better for Peraza, as he saw his batting average rise from .205 to .222, but his opportunities were still limited. During the month of July, Peraza seems to have hit a switch, and the youngster is finally showing off the potential that every Reds fan knows he possesses.

Over his 7 appearances during the month of July, José Peraza is slashing .412/.412/.706 with 7 hits, including a triple and home run. Peraza’s 1.118 OPS during those 7 appearances will play all day long. He’s also shown his defensive versatility, seeing time at second base, shortstop, and left field.

The part of Peraza’s game that needs some refinement is his plate discipline. As much as I love what Peraza brings to the table, he needs to be more patient and learn how to take some walks. In the past 30 games he’s played, Peraza has recorded just 1 walk and has only 11 on the season across 252 plate appearances. His 4.4% walk rate is far too low.

Now, the one thing I think all of us can agree on is that José Peraza needs consistent playing time in order to be successful. Fair or not, that’s about as close to a fact as you’ll hear when it comes to the Venezuela native. Whether he plays second base, shortstop, or the outfield, David Bell needs to find a spot in the lineup for Peraza every day.

With the struggles we’ve seen of late from Derek Dietrich, the questions surrounding Jesse Winker’s health, and Scooter Gennett’s inconsistent play to begin his season, Bell will have plenty of opportunities to get Peraza’s hot bat in the lineup. The Cincinnati Reds would be best served to get Peraza on the field consistently.