John Peck is Headed to the Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are calling up infield prospect John Peck to make his MLB debut. The move was first reported by Emily Waldon, and later confirmed by Detroit Tigers MLB beat writer Jason Beck, and eventually the Tigers themselves.
The Tigers today selected the contract of INF John Peck from Triple-A Toledo. Peck, who will wear #18, joins the first major league roster of his professional career.
Additionally, the Tigers today recalled RHP Yilber DÃaz from Triple-A.
In corresponding roster moves, the…
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) August 31, 2026
Peck, our 19th ranked Tigers prospect, becomes the 6th member of Detroit’s 2023 draft class to reach the major leagues. He is the 12th Pepperdine Wave player to be drafted by the Tigers, and the 3rd to reach the majors with the Tigers, joining Pat Ahearne and Danny Worth, who was an assistant coach at Pepperdine when Peck attended.
John Peck also becomes the 12th player selected by the Tigers in the 7th round to reach the big leagues. He joins current bullpen arm Brant Hurter and other notable names like Virgil Vasquez, longtime coach Bruce Fields, and some guy named Ozzie Smith, who didn’t sign. If you aren’t aware, the Tigers took Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, Dan Petry, and Smith in the 1976 draft. It’s arguably the single greatest draft class in MLB history. But who knows, maybe this 2023 group will join it one day? Now, let’s learn a little more about the newest Detroit Tigers infielder.
John Peck’s Background
Peck is a native of Moorpark, California, located roughly one hour northwest of Los Angeles. He graduated high school in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and enrolled in nearby Pepperdine, where he started 134 games over the next three years. He had a solid freshman year, and followed with excellent sophomore season in which he batted .361/.417/.578. Peck then spent the summer in the Cape Cod League, where he struggled to a .530 OPS over 39 games with a 30% strikeout, but helped the Bourne Braves win a title. He hit just .274 in a disappointing junior year, and slipped to the Tigers in the 7th round of the 2023 draft.
Peck got into 17 pro games after the draft, splitting time between rookie ball and Low-A, but he batted just .204 with one extra-base hit. He did walk 12 times, however, and he stole eight bases. He returned to Lakeland to begin the 2024 season, but was again struggling to hit through April, and then suffered a leg injury while running to first base.
Peck missed the next seven weeks of game action, but returned with a solid rehab stint in the FCL. He seemed to find his footing in Lakeland afterward, hitting .278 with a 131 wRC+ over the next 30 games. That was enough for the Tigers to promote him to West Michigan. His strikeout rate rose and his walk rate dipped with the Whitecaps, but he continued to hit, and he posted a 118 wRC+ over his final 18 games. We didn’t rank him after the season, but Peck did make our Sleepers and Favorites list.
Back in West Michigan to begin the 2025 season, Peck held his own for the first 27 games of the season. But he was hitting .250 with limited power (.100 ISO) and he had been caught stealing four times in eight attempts. In mid-May Peck made an adjustment to his batting stance and his hand placement, and it seemed to work.
John Peck is another fun development story for the Tigers. He always hit the ball hard (89.7 EV in Low-A) but had just 5 HR and a .104 ISO through his first 117 pro games. Then in mid-May 2025 he lowered his hands. In 161 games since the change he has 20HR and a .172 ISO. pic.twitter.com/5OH234IlCP
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 31, 2026
Over the next three months Peck hit .328 with 27 extra-base hits, good for a 146 wRC+, and he went 13-for-14 on steal attempts. Along the way he was named the Midwest League Player of the Week twice. That was enough for the Tigers to bump him up to Double-A Erie. He continued to hit with the SeaWolves over the next 21 games, albeit without much power or speed. He found his pop in the playoffs, however, blasting two home runs in game one of the championship series.
The Tigers invited Peck to spring training in 2026, and he made a very strong impression. He played well on the infield and hit .333 with two home runs and a triple. He was assigned to Erie again to begin the 2026 season, and after some early hiccups on defense, he went right back to hitting. He still didn’t walk much, but Peck batted .285 with 30 extra-base hits over 58 games, including ten home runs. Along the way he earned another player of the week honor.
Detroit promoted Peck to Triple-A, where he homered in his second game. Unfortunately that game saw him once again injure his leg while running to first base. He missed about seven weeks of action, then spent another two weeks on rehab assignments. Peck returned to Toledo, promptly went 7-for-14 with three walks and three steals over four games, and the Tigers called him up to Detroit.
John Peck laces an oppo double off the wall in right. pic.twitter.com/JP6Nl264kC
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 26, 2026
John Peck Scouting Report
As always, we encourage you to read our full scouting report on Peck (freshly updated!), but here’s a quick overview.
There’s a lot to like about John Peck. He consistently he sprays the ball all over the yard, often with triple-digit exit velos, and he can hit the ball a long way when he gets ahold of it. He’s an above-average runner with the speed to steal 20-plus bases annually. And perhaps most importantly, Peck is a quality defender with legitimate shortstop tools. He’s not the most spectacular defender, but he can make most plays at the six.
Peck is also a plus defender at second base, and he has the above-average arm strength needed to play third. He dabbled in the outfield a bit in college. He hasn’t done that in pro ball yet, but he’s certainly athletic enough to do so.
The Trouble With John Peck
Everything sounds great, right? Well…not so fast. Peck has the tools to be an average regular, but his current approach and launch angles at the plate will make it hard for him to achieve that ceiling. He does hit the ball hard quite frequently, but a lot of that contact comes in the form of ground balls or low liners, often to the opposite field. He generally puts about two balls on the ground for every one in the air. The hard oppo contact has helped him run higher batting averages in the minors, but MLB pitchers may be able to neutralize that a bit with fastballs inside and soft stuff away.
The other is is plate discipline. Peck doesn’t whiff or chase excessively, but he is very aggressive. If he sees a pitch he likes heading toward the zone, he swings at it. He tends to smash fastballs, but he’s definitely susceptible to curves, cutters, sliders, and sweepers that break away from him. So don’t expect too many walks.
The Verdict
John Peck gives A.J. Hinch and the 2026 Tigers another solid right-handed bat with defensive versatility. We can probably count on him facing every left-handed starter down the stretch, while also being used fairly often as a pinch hitter, pinch runner, or defensive replacement. What happens after this season is an open question.
Peck’s plate discipline and launch angle issues make it unlikely that he carves out a starting role with the Tigers in the near future. But it’s certainly possible that, if he hits enough, his superior defense could push Colt Keith or Hao-Yu Lee into more of a bench role in the future. We think it’s most likely that he adds outfield to his defensive repertoire and develops into a super utility man, possibly by the middle of next year.
Enderson Delgado with a strong throw and John Peck with Baezian tag to get the out at 2nd. pic.twitter.com/YQqscEy05U
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 13, 2026
Colin Arthur