Cincinnati Reds: Surging José Peraza proves consistency is the key

Cincinnati Reds shortstop José Peraza has received constant criticism this season. However, his recent production proves he belongs in the big leagues.

José Peraza catches a lot of heat from Reds Country. The player who was supposed to be Cincinnati’s shortstop-of-the-future, has played all over the field this season. However, Peraza has recently been given more consistent playing time and his production has increased. If the Cincinnati Reds want to get the best out of Peraza, he needs to be in the lineup more consistently.

I’ll admit it, I’m a huge fan of José Peraza. Of everyone on the Reds team, this guy just can’t seem to catch a break. Three years ago, he was supposed to be the successor to Brandon Phillips at second base. The Reds acquired Scooter Gennett on waivers and the Cincinnati native exploded onto the scene and took the starting job away from Peraza.

This season, Gennett went down with a groin injury during Spring Training and Peraza was called upon to fill Scooter’s shoes at second base. Out of nowhere, Derek Dietrich becomes the second coming of Babe Ruth for a two-month period and Peraza’s playing time is cut short once again.

However, recently, it seems as though Reds manager David Bell is making a more concerted attempt to get some of his younger players into the lineup. For those who are unaware, only the Reds two rookies, Nick Senzel and Josh VanMeter, are younger than Peraza.

Since the Reds traded Gennett to the San Francisco Giants, Peraza’s seen the majority of starts at second base, though VanMeter has started a couple games there as well. Peraza has come up very big since receiving more consistent playing time.

José Peraza is riding a five-game hitting streak and is slashing .292/.320/.375 over his last seven games. The 25-year-old had three hits and was robbed of an RBI during last night’s game against the Chicago Cubs. Peraza crushed a ball to deep center field in the third inning. The ball hopped over the wall and the ground-rule double kept Tucker Barnhart at third base when he could have easily scored.

Since July 1st, José Peraza is hitting .303 with 12 RBIs. He started 16 of those 30 games and saw playing time at shortstop, second base, left field, and even as a pitcher. The bottom line is, when Peraza gets consistent playing time, he will produce. Don’t forget that he led the Cincinnati Reds in total hits last season with 182.

I’ll admit, Peraza’s plate discipline is not good. He’s struck out 48 times this season and walked just 11. However, for those who want to tout the efforts of José Iglesias, keep in mind that he has 51 strikeouts and just 12 walks.

Where you’ll get no debate from me is when it comes to the defensive prowess of Peraza and Iglesias. The 29-year-old Iglesias is a wizard with the glove. But, to be fair, Iglesias and Peraza have the same number of errors (6) on the season. Peraza has committed four errors while playing shortstop and two at second base.

I’m not advocating for the Cincinnati Reds to play Peraza over Iglesias at shortstop, even though you wouldn’t see me too upset about it. With Iglesias entering free agency at the end of the year, his future may not be with the Reds. Peraza, on the other hand, is under team control through the 2022 season.

What I am suggesting, is that whether in left field, at shortstop, or second base, José Peraza needs consistent playing time. With David Bell constantly shuffling his lineup in order to get the best matchup against the opposing pitcher, Peraza’s versatility in the field should come in handy.