With Frazier, Peraza in tow, Halos 'real confident' in options at 2B

LOS ANGELES -- With three days left until Opening Day, the remaining roster decisions are starting to be finalized across baseball. One of the Angels' dilemmas is who will be the starting second baseman.

Non-roster invitee Adam Frazier and infielder Oswald Peraza are both battling for the starting nod out of Spring Training. Both had great Cactus League showings, with Frazier hitting .300 with a .847 OPS and Peraza hitting .314 with a .901 OPS.

Manager Kurt Suzuki did not name a starter when speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, but he did give insight as to how he’s going to balance his options. Both players have different reputations at the plate, but how they each hit is only part of the equation.

“Not just necessarily offense,” Suzuki said about deciding who plays. “Peraza's tremendous defensively, and Frazier as well. They've got some experience. Frazier's got a lot of experience over there. We try to take everything into account, not just offense, but defense as well, and matchups, and maybe a guy needs a day off or something like that. So we'll take everything into account and make that decision.”

Suzuki mentioned it could also be whoever is “hot right now,” but emphasized the multitude of factors that will go into the lineup decision.

Peraza is a glove-first infielder who ranked in the 77th percentile in outs above average last season, but his bat has never translated to the big leagues, sporting a .189 batting average in 524 career plate appearances.

Frazier, on the other hand, was a stronger defender earlier in his career and has since had some up-and-down years. Last season, he ranked in the 60th percentile in OAA.

Where Frazier might have the upper hand is his previous history at the plate. He’s a contact hitter who will not strike out or hit for much power. Frazier hit .267 last year and has an All-Star appearance under his belt in 2021 with the Pirates.

Peraza hits right-handed and Frazier left-handed, which means the Angels could platoon them, but it’s not as simple as that.

Peraza actually has reverse splits in his career, hitting .215 against right-handers and .125 against left-handers. Frazier has a gap in his career platoon splits, but his .270 average against righties and .243 average against southpaws isn’t detrimental.

It remains to be seen if platooning will end up being a factor, but with the defensive ability and strong springs, Suzuki is comfortable either way.

“At the end of the day, we're going to put the best team that we feel like gives us the best chance to win,” Suzuki said. “That might be Peraza. That might be Frazier. But they both had a great Spring Training, and right now, we feel real confident with either one of them out there.”