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In the midst of the celebratory love-fest among Mariners fans following the club's improbable eighth straight win, made possible in part by some Keystone Cop-worthy baserunning by the Indians in the 9th, word started to circulate that the Mariners top selection in the 2013 Draft, third baseman D.J. Peterson out of the University of New Mexico, had been promoted. And by word circulating, I mean a teammate Tweeting.
Congrats on my boy @godj33 on getting moved up to Clinton... Buena suerte my tigga...
— mike faulkner (@belikemike10) July 24, 2013
I then sent some texts and confirmed it was true, and later D.J. confirmed the move himself on Twitter.
Just got promoted up to Clinton. Thank you Everett for the support! #movingup
— DJ Peterson (@godj33) July 24, 2013
The promotion isn't surprising as the 21-year-old's initial assignment to Everett was thought to be a bit "light" by some. But it was the exact same assignment that the Mariners gave to Mike Zunino last year after the draft. And in case you hadn't noticed, Zunino is now the M's everyday catcher in the major leagues less than 12 months later.
Peterson may not move quite that quickly, but the right-handed hitter has a polished and powerful bat that could be of help in a relative hurry for a team that is suddenly looking like it doesn't need all that much help so desperately at the moment. He hit .312 with a .382 OBP and .532 SLG in his 29 game stay with the AquaSox and he leaves -- much like Zunino did a year ago -- as the league's leader in home runs, with six, and RBI, with 27.
D.J. is headed for a Clinton team that has a fight ahead of it if they want to see postseason action. But they are without an everyday third baseman at the moment, which bodes well for Peterson and the Mariners as he'll continue to get valuable reps at the hot corner for the LumberKings. His defense is somewhat important as far as flexibility goes, but it is going to be Peterson's bat that determines his timeline for his next promotion and ultimate arrival date in Seattle.
Clinton is still a long ways away from Seattle, but it is good to see another young player in the system living up to early expectations.
