Yankees fans are reeling after Oswald Peraza owned them during Angels series

When the Los Angeles Angels traded for Oswald Peraza at the trade deadline last season, New York Yankees fans couldn't believe it. They didn't get much back for him, a teenage outfielder repeating the Dominican Summer League for the second straight year named Wilberson De Pena, is what went back to New York, but they couldn't believe that they got anything at all.

With last week's series against the Yankees complete, one thing that may have gotten lost in Mike Trout's historic outburst was Peraza twisting the knife on his former team. Over the four games, Peraza slashed .500/.615/1.200 with two homers and two steals. Yankees fans lost their minds.

It wasn't just the fans. Yankees beat reporter Chris Kirschner pointed out that Peraza's five hits in the series were the same number of hits the guy who booted him from the Bronx, Ryan McMahon, had recorded all season.

What Yankees fans might have missed is the fact that Peraza has been good all season. He's now hitting .286/.365/.554 through 19 games this season.

Angels might have found a building block in Oswald Peraza

Peraza was one of the least productive players in baseball at the time of the trade, slashing .152/.212/.241 and subtracting 0.6 fWAR from New York. He wasn't much better down the stretch with the Halos, posting a .186/.245/.267 line and another -0.2 fWAR. It looked like he was a bust. Period.

But despite the fact that he made his debut in 2022, he still doesn't turn 26 until June 15. He was also a serious prospect, falling just outside the top 50 on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list, ranking 52nd in 2023. At that time, he was highly regarded due to his balanced skill set that suggested he'd hit for contact, post above-average power, perform well with the glove, and bring speed to the bases.

The thing is, he never really had a chance in New York. The Yankees had another shortstop prospect who ranked even higher in Anthony Volpe. Outside of a brief, sham spring training competition in 2023, Peraza never had a shot to beat out New York's Golden Boy. As such, he stagnated.

Now, though, Peraza's proving to be a more reliable option at the hot corner than Yoan Moncada. It's still early, but if he keeps it up, there's a conversation to be had about his future value. Ditto for the recently-activated Vaughn Grissom, who also fits the mold of a seemingly flamed-out former top prospect.

Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to get a talented youngster back on track. That could certainly prove to be the case with Peraza. For a team like the Angels that is devoid of young talent, taking gambles on these sorts of discarded youngsters is a great strategy. Grab enough of them, and you just might strike gold. Here's to hoping the Angels have the Midas touch here with Peraza.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow