Peters added to AL All-Stars; White Sox edge Athletics
People often point out how White Sox center fielder Tristan Peters took an improbable path to big-league success, since he once played for the Savannah Bananas.
More improbable is the fact that Peters grew up in Winkler, Manitoba — a small town located roughly between Winnipeg and the North Dakota border. Not exactly a baseball hot bed.
Another unlikely achievement was added to his ledger Saturday, when Peters was named to the American League All-Star team ahead of the White Sox's 1-0 victory over the Athletics at Rate Field.
“I was super stunned, I was speechless,” Peters said. “I still don't really know what to say. It's incredible and so thankful for the opportunity.”
The White Sox acquired Peters in a cash transaction from Tampa Bay last December that fell well under the radar. There was an opening in center field with the trade of Luis Robert Jr., but Luisangel Acuna was the front-runner for that job, having come back from the Mets in the deal.
Instead, Peters locked down the role with both offense and defense. He's hitting .303 on the season with 6 home runs. Peters made his major-league debut in Tampa Bay last year, but went 0-for-12 at the plate.
“I know there was a lot of bunting in the beginning (of this season) and trying to figure out who I am at the big-league level,” he said. “The White Sox give space for that too. Just incredibly supportive group. I think that's helped me thrive.”
His time with the Bananas was brief. That's the traveling club focused on dancing, comedy and trick plays, which has become immensely popular in recent years and fields several different teams.
“I get a few Banana nicknames,” he said. “I only played for them for a month. I will clarify, it was college summer ball, it wasn't Banana Ball. We were still doing dances and stuff. If that's my reputation, I love it. The Bananas are awesome.”
And bananas certainly don't grow in Manitoba, where youth baseball is basically something to occupy the kids when the ponds aren't frozen.
“Baseball's popular, we've got our Little League,” Peters said. “But hockey's way bigger.”
The best hockey players typically leave home during their high school years and start playing in a junior league. Peters faced a similar situation with baseball. He moved in with his aunt in Calgary to play for the Okotoks Dawgs Academy.
From there, he landed at a junior college in Arizona, where he met his wife Erin, then spent one season at Southern Illinois before getting drafted by the Brewers in 2021.
The night before getting the all-star call, Peters hit for the cycle on Friday against the Athletics, one of the few players in MLB history to accomplish the feat while batting ninth in the order.
“All the things that have happened this season,” Peters said. “Not knowing if I was going to make the Opening Day roster, I had a baby (daughter Elaine) in the middle of spring training. Just incredible blessings.
“Shout out to my wife, she's incredible. My wife is holding down the fort. She's a super mom, really. She lets me sleep at night, she takes care of the baby, she's the real hero in this situation.”
Peters said the original plan over all-star break was to rent a house on Grass Lake, north of the city. Now the whole family is headed for Philadelphia and the All-Star Game, where he'll be joined by Sox teammates Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami.
After exploding for 14 runs on Friday, the Sox had to squeak out a pitchers’ duel Saturday. Manager Will Venable went with a double-opener on the mound, using Bryan Hudson and Chris Murphy for one inning each before bringing in Erik Fedde, who went 4 innings.
The Athletics had some traffic, most notably a leadoff triple in the eighth by Jacob Wilson. Sean Newcomb coaxed a grounder to short, while the runner held, then Grant Taylor recorded the final five outs.
The lone Sox run came in the sixth when a Chase Meidroth double brought home Colson Montgomery.