Jace Peterson

Early life

Jace Peterson was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana on May 9, 1990, as the eldest of three children to Scott and Shawn Peterson. He was a three-sport athlete at Hamilton Christian Academy in his hometown, playing baseball, basketball, and football. Upon graduation, Peterson attended McNeese State University, where he played football and baseball. In his three-season collegiate baseball career, Peterson set a school record for stolen bases, with 78. He was drafted by the Padres in the supplemental first round (58th pick overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft and signed with the team for $624,600.

Minor leagues

Peterson made his professional debut with the Eugene Emeralds in 2011. He played in 73 games, hitting .243//360/.333 with two home runs over 276 at-bats. In 2012, he played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, hitting .286/.378/.392 in 444 at-bats over 117 games. He played the 2013 season with the Lake Elsinore Storm and hit .303/.382/.454 with seven home runs in 496 at-bats over 113 games. He started the 2014 season with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. After appearing with the Major League club, he was optioned to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas in May. While he had primarily played shortstop in his previous minor league assignments, he saw time at second, third, and short with El Paso. In 2014, he hit .306/.406/.464 with two home runs in 248 at-bats over 68 games at Triple-A after batting .311 in 18 games at Double-A.

San Diego Padres

Peterson was called up to the Majors for the first time from Double-A on April 25, 2014, when Chase Headley strained his calf. He made seven starts at third base before being optioned to Triple-A. He was recalled on June 4 and took over at second base when Jedd Gyorko was placed on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis on June 6. Peterson made ten starts at second before the Padres claimed Irving Falú off waivers and returned Peterson to Triple-A. He had two other brief stints with the Padres in 2014, but was not part of the September roster expansion. For the season, he went 6 for 53 at the plate.

Peterson was one of seven Padres selected to play in the Arizona Fall League, where Bud Black expressed a desire for Peterson to get some experience in the outfield.

Atlanta Braves

On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Peterson, Max Fried, Dustin Peterson, and Mallex Smith to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft. Peterson was invited to spring training and made Braves' Opening Day roster. On May 16, 2015, Peterson came to bat in the top of the second inning against the Miami Marlins with the bases loaded, and hit his first career home run, a grand slam, off Marlins pitcher Mat Latos. The Braves went on to win, 5-3. Peterson ended the season with a .239 batting average, .314 on base percentage, and .335 slugging percentage. He was again named the Braves' primary second baseman at the start of the 2016 season, but struggled through April and lost playing time before being optioned to the Gwinnett Braves on May 2. On June 10, Peterson was recalled to the majors, after the trade of Kelly Johnson. Once he returned, Peterson improved his hitting and became a utility player, mainly sharing time at second base with Gordon Beckham.

Personal life

Peterson and fiancée Brianna Pugh, a former Oregon soccer player, welcomed a daughter, Marley Rae, on May 7, 2016. They live in Lake Charles, La.