Mariners prospect Peterson soars at High A

When the Mariners took D.J. Peterson with their first-round pick, No. 12 overall, in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, it was with the hope that he would be the kind of advanced college hitter who could move quickly up the ladder.

If his recent stretch with High Desert in the Class A Advanced California League is any indication, he's well on his way to living up to those expectations.

Peterson, ranked No. 12 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list and No. 2 on the Mariners' Top 20, banged out two homers and drove in four runs on Sunday in a 10-1 High Desert rout.

Peterson hit a solo shot with two outs in the first to get High Desert on the board then added a three-run blast in a five-run fifth that put the game away. Peterson has really gotten his bat going of late, with a .348/.375/.565 line in his last 10 games. He's driven in 13 runs in that span. In those May games, he's already surpassed his RBI total for the month of April. His recent stretch, highlighted by a 9-for-19 outburst over his last four games, has brought his season line up to .298/.336/.468, a huge jump from his .269/.313/.420 April.

The University of New Mexico product had a fantastic pro debut in 2013, playing across two levels and hitting .303/.365/.553 in 55 games. It was a first taste of Minor League life that was only soured by getting hit in the face with a pitch while playing in the Midwest League. Peterson broke his jaw and required surgery, ending his season and potential plans to go to the Arizona Fall League.