2022 Diamondbacks Reviews, #46 Matt Peacock

Overview

• Rating: 2.50

• 2022 stats: 2 G, 2.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 8.74 FIP, 1.875 WHIP, 1.00 SO/BB, 68 ERA+
• Date of birth: February 27, 1994 (28 years old)
• 2022 earnings: $11,289 (via Spotrac)
• 2023 status: DFA’d by the Diamondbacks in April 2022, picked up by first Kansas City Royals and later by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Introduction

If there was an award for most likeable baseball player on the Diamondbacks roster, Peacock would surely win it, especially in 2021. The Athletic wrote an excellent piece on his journey to the major leagues and Steven Burt recapped it in his 2021 player review.

Peacock had an excellent April in 2021 and became the last pitcher in the history of MLB to get both his first hit and win in his debut, at Coors Park of all places. Let us enjoy that one more time.

The rest of the season wasn’t that great, but Peacock had his Koch-like usefulness, providing spot starts and mop up duties during the season until he was optioned to Reno.

2022 review

The Alabama native didn’t make the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and started the season in Reno, but was already called up to the majors on April 17 to pitch against the New York Mets, where he would give up two runs en route to a 5-0 loss.

The right-hander would again take the mound in another mop up duty two days later, in Washington. After that game he was optioned back to Reno only to get designated for assignment two days later to make room for Matt Davidson.

Peacock got immediately picked up by the Royals and was continuously moved up and down between the majors and AAA and eventually pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 7.1 innings of work for the Royals. Kansas DFA’d Matt Peacock early July (to make room for fellow D-Back Ryan Weiss) and he once again got picked up immediately, by the Toronto Blue Jays. There he pitched in Buffalo, was outrighted and also spent time on the Development List and didn’t return to the MLB.

2023 outlook

I think Matt Peacock’s days in the MLB are over. It was a feel good story, but the truth is that he doesn’t have much to offer and especially against left-handed batters he pretty much only throws the sinker, without much success.

Maybe another major league team grants him another opportunity (I don’t think he’ll return to the MLB in Toronto) but after having failed in Kansas City the odds are that it is back to the saw mill and the hen house for him, with all due respect.