Liover Peguero

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

2018
DSL:  309/356/457, 81 AB, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 12 K, 4-5 SB
R:  197/254/197, 66 AB, 5 BB, 17 K, 3-5 SB

The D’backs sent Peguero initially to the DSL and he hit extremely well there.  About halfway through the season, Arizona moved him up to the Arizon League and he had a lot more trouble over a brief stint.  Peguero played short exclusively at both stops and had some trouble with errors.

2019
R+:  364/410/559, 143 AB, 7 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 20 BB, 51 K, 11-13 SB
A-:  262/333/357, 84 AB, 4 2B, 2 3B, 8 BB, 17 K, 3-4 SB

Peguero opened the season back in advanced rookie ball and took off with the bat.  He struck out a lot, but hit for good power and did well stealing bases.  Arizona moved him up to the Northwest League for several weeks and he held his own there, with an improved K rate.  Peguero again played exclusively at short and showed significant improvement, with some scouts considering him an above-average defender.  BA rated him the best prospect in the Pioneer League, the eighth best in the Northwest League and the seventh best in the strong D’backs’ system.

2020
DNP

The Pirates brought Peguero to their alternate training site at Altoona.  He was younger than nearly all the other players and struggled a little at first, but he greatly impressed the team.

2021
A+:  270/332/444, 374 AB, 19 2B, 2 3B, 14 HR, 33 BB, 105 K, 28-34 SB

The Pirates sent Peguero to Greensboro, skipping him over Low A.  He missed a couple weeks with an injury in May, but otherwise played short there all year.  He had a good year at the plate, although he still needs to improve his plate discipline a little.  Like many of his teammates, he had a home/road split, with 10 home runs and a .497 slugging average at home, four and .398 on the road.  He showed his speed on the bases and had good range in the field.  He committed 23 errors, which isn’t great but not a big concern at this point, either.  The Pirates added Peguero to the 40-man roster after the season.

2022
AA:  259/305/387, 483 AB, 22 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR, 29 BB, 111 K, 28-34 SB
MLB:  333/500/333, 3 AB, 1 BB, 2 K

Other than a very brief, injury-related callup to Pittsburgh, Peguero spent the season at Altoona.  He got off to a great start, but in the end had a very disappointing season.  His OPS by month:

April:  .938
May:  .792
June:  .581
July:  .555
August:  .569
September:  .791

He did manage to cut his K rate from the previous year, although his walk rate also dropped.  Peguero didn’t hit LHPs well, managing just a .626 OPS against them, as opposed to .709 against RHPs.  His erratic play on defense also raised concerns.  In 94 starts at short, he committed 23 errors.  He had another eight in 19 starts at second, which worked out to a dismal .899 fielding percentage at the latter position.

Peguero will return to Altoona in 2023, with Chris Owings, who’s no shortstop, playing short in AAA.  Scouts are still very high on Peguero, but he’s at risk of becoming the classic toolsy player who doesn’t develop his skills well enough.