I Am All In On Tai Peete
A Blog By Dean
DISCLAIMER: I would like to start this blog by saying I am the proud owner of a PSA 10 True Gold Tai Peete Bowman 1st Auto. That leads to some direct questions.
-Would I know who Tai Peete is without that card? Yeah, I love speed demons.
-Would I be writing a blog about him if I didn’t own the card? Yeah, I want to dive into prospects a little more this season.
-Do I want him to be a Top 10 prospect so I can sell the card for thousands? Of course.
-Did I sit in bed on New Year’s Eve watching all of Tai’s YouTube videos from when he was in high school? Including his morning hair routine? No comment.
Welcome to my blog.
Tai Peete began to make news during the 2018 Little League World Series, where he played for Peachtree City American. He was the best player on a team that eventually lost the US title to Hawaii. Hawaii won it all against South Korea, but Peete would become the only player from the tournament to be drafted so far into the MLB.
Tai Peete continued to make a name for himself while at Trinity Christian School in Sharpsburg, Georgia. He was an exceptional two-way player who reached 95 mph on his fastball before injuring his elbow and transitioning strictly to hitting. Did drinking Dr Peppers for breakfast on his way to school affect his ability to pitch? We might never know, but I can’t imagine it helped.
At Trinity, Peete was a five-tool player. As a senior, he batted .414 with 12 HRs, 40 RBIs, and 17 SB over 28 games. Peete was drawing national attention, earning a spot among the top 50 players in the Class of 2023 by Prep Baseball Report and ranking as the No. 5 shortstop in his class. Tai Peete left Trinity Christian with a reputation as one of the country's most well-rounded high school baseball players.
After committing to Georgia Tech, Peete decided to attend the MLB Draft Combine. Have you ever actually watched the MLB Draft Combine? I didn’t think so. However, I did dig up footage of Peete from the combine. At 17, he was showing raw power, hitting balls over 400 feet during batting practice. As you will see below, his power has not translated to the minor league yet, but at 19 years old, there is still plenty of time for that to come to fruition.
The Seattle Mariners then drafted Tai with the 30th pick in 2023 at the age of 18. As an MLB fan, it was easy to overlook Peete when this draft happened, as we had Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Max Clark, Wyatt Langford, Walker Jenkins, Jacob Wilson, Rhett Lowder, and more drawing our attention.
Now, a little over a year into his minor league career, we can begin to analyze Peete's performance.
First, it is essential to note that most do not believe Peete will make his debut until 2027 or 2028, when he is 21/22 years old. When looking at the Mariner's current roster, you will notice that Dylan Moore and JP Crawford’s contracts will expire in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Three SS prospects are currently ranked above Peete: Emerson, Young, and Celesten. With Emerson, Peete, and Celesten all being 19 years old, there will inevitably be some log jam if positions aren’t moved.
Thankfully, Seattle began throwing Peete into LF this summer while he was playing in Modesto. Based on the number of errors Peete committed this year at SS (23,) you should expect to see him play a little more LF and 3B in 2025.
Where Peete Shines
45 SB
SPEED KILLS
BABIP was .391 in 2024
MILB average is .290-.310
Important to note that this was over 528 PA.
For the Brett’s of the world who do not know what BABIP is, it stands for Batting Average on Balls In Play.
I put this graphic below for fun.
Where Peete Is Mediocre
3.854 P/PA
Right on 3.8 MLB average
237 left on base in 2024
Not great
Hit .279 against lefties. There is no power, but it's good to see a lefty batter stay strong against lefty pitching.
Where Peete Needs To Improve
162 SO in 528 PA
Peete does not use the opposite side of the field.
The defense is below average.
Twenty-three errors at SS with four more at 3B did not help Peete’s chances of staying in the infield.
Highs and lows
Almost every scouting website I went on said the same thing. “Streaky.”
Final Thoughts
I am all in on Tai Peete, I am a sucker for fast players. I am declaring that Tai Peete is the prospect I will now follow every aspect of (that is not a Red Sox player.) Again, nothing to do with the PSA 10 /50 Bowman 1st….
If you are into baseball history, go check out my YouTube channel below I will be posting a bunch of cool stuff on there.
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