ERIE — It appeared to be a foregone conclusion, one the Peterson family eagerly awaited for a few years.
Johnsonburg native Cole Peterson was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft after a stellar baseball career at St. Bonaventure. The Tigers’ Double-A affiliate plays in Erie, a mere 100 miles from Peterson’s hometown.
That dream of Peterson playing in front of his ‘home’ fans became a reality last Tuesday night, when the Erie Seawolves announced that Peterson was transferred from Class-A Lakeland up to the Double-A squad.
When that news spread, St. Bonaventure and area baseball fans who followed Peterson’s career since high school were excited … so much so that UPMC Park was packed Friday night for Peterson’s home debut.
“It was an awesome feeling,” said Peterson of the day he found out he was being called up. “It was great to call my family to tell them I’m coming back home. (My parents) were probably more excited than me because they didn’t get down to Florida to watch me play. For them to get here and watch me play, I’m very thankful. To finally be here and play and have family and friends, it’s an unreal feeling. I can’t even explain it. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Now while Peterson has enjoyed returning to Pennsylvania, he hopes his stint doesn’t last long. The next step would be Triple-A Toledo, the final stop before the big club in Detroit.
“I’m just going to keep working and hopefully sometime get the opportunity,” he said.
From 2015-17, Peterson was a mainstay in the Bonnies’ middle infield and lineup, and he earned all manner of accolades. He was First Team Atlantic 10 in 2017 after being named Second Team in ‘16. In that 2017 season, he hit .335 with 17 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Those numbers got the attention of Tigers scouts. In the ninth round, four earlier Peterson, the San Francisco Giants drafted another Bonnies’ standout, Aaron Phillips.
Peterson became the fourth Bonnie draft over the last five years, joining Steven Klimek (2015, 33rd round, Baltimore) and Connor Grey (2016, 20th, Arizona). Grey and Peterson are in Double-A while Phillips and Klimek are in Class A Advanced ball in their respective organizations. In 2015, the four were teammates on Larry Sudbrook’s Bonnies. Klimek was drafted in 2015, but the other three returned to the Bonnies in 2016. Phillips and Peterson remained teammates through 2017, also teaming up on the Olean Oilers’ 2015 and ‘16 championship-winning teams.
“I had a blast those three years at St. Bonaventure playing for Coach Sudbrook and coach (BJ) Salerno,” Peterson said. “I made my game better there, and it gave me the opportunity to get drafted. I talk to coach all the time, and I’m very thankful for everything those two (plus strength coach Darryn Fiske) put into me over those three years.”
At Johnsonburg, Peterson was just as good. His St. Bonaventure bio reads that he was an all-star in his final three seasons with the Rams. His senior season he batted .473 was 10-0 as a pitcher with a 0.90 ERA and was All-State.
Peterson’s Seawolves career began with a pair of road games at Reading (Phillies’ affiliate) on Wednesday and Thursday. He played second base and hit ninth on Wednesday, finishing with a single in three at bats in Erie’s 3-0 win. Thursday’s game was suspended in the second inning before Peterson could take a turn at the plate. Friday night Peterson played his first home game against Akron (Indians’ affiliate), finishing with an RBI double in Erie’s 4-1 win. Peterson also made two defensive gems while playing third base, a position he had rarely played in the past.
“My first time playing third this year,” he said. “This was a little different. Just another play, trying to do my job for Casey (Mize, starting pitcher) when the ball was hit to me.”
Friday also happened to be another start for Tigers’ top pitching prospect Mize, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Tigers in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Auburn. Mize has dominated in Erie with a 5-0 record and a 1.21 ERA over 44.2 innings in seven starts. In his first start with Erie (April 29), he threw a 98-pitch no-hitter in a win over Altoona. On Friday night, he threw six shutout innings. On his final pitch, Peterson helped him keep that ERA low by turning an around-the-horn double play.
“He threw very well,” Peterson said of Mize, who he played with in Lakeland as well. “(On the final play), he did his job and got a ground ball. It was right there and we turned the double play.”
After being drafted, Peterson’s pro career began with the Connecticut Tigers of the New York Penn League. He hit .246 over 55 games there and earned a promotion to the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League. He improved his average to .277 over 66 games from March 31-June 21, at which point he was promoted again, this time to the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Florida State League. He only played in 38 games with Lakeland before a broken finger ended his season. He began 2019 in Lakeland and hit .292 over 45 games lining up in the middle infield alongside Kody Clemens, son of famed pitcher Roger Clemens.
While Peterson’s offensive numbers look respectable, it is his glove which has earned him even more honors. He won the 2018 Tigers Gold Glove award, which represents the best defensive shortstop in the entire organization, from the lowest level all the way up to Detroit. He was highlighted on ESPN SportsCenter once for a great defensive play in West Michigan.
“He’s really easy to root for,” Tigers vice president of player development Dave Littlefield told Baseball America in a 2018 interview. “(He) does everything the right way. He’s an all-effort guy who makes plays defensively and is swinging the bat good. He puts every possible ounce of effort into what he will do and he’s a gamer.”
