David Peralta Thankful to Dodgers for Opportunity to Play in LA
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent David Peralta before this season, many fans wondered why. The previous year the Arizona Diamondbacks traded the aging veteran left fielder to the Tampa Bay Rays, and he had the poorest offensive performance of his career, partly due to a back injury that required surgery.
Ultimately, it proved to be a quality signing for both the outfielder and the LA ballclub. More on that in a second.
On Saturday, Peralta took to Instagram to thank the Dodger organization for giving him the opportunity to extend his major league career.
“I want to thank the Dodgers organization for giving me the opportunity to represent this great organization and allowing to be part of this family. Thank you to all of my teammates, coaching staff, front office and the rest of the dodgers staff for welcoming and treating me as family since Day 1. And big thanks to all Dodgers Fans for always supporting me and the team all the way to the end.
On behalf of my Family and I Thank you for everything. Til Next Time. Choo-Choo to everyone.”
Peralta via Instagram
The veteran outfielder played an integral role in LA’s regular season success. He split time with Chris Taylor in left field. He had a .259 batting average with 7 home runs, 55 RBI, and a .675 OPS over 133 games. He helped carry the backend of the lineup for a stretch, hitting around .300 with a .768 OPS from May 1 through the end of August.
Peralta is 36 and a free agent once again. With younger outfielders like James Outman and Jonny DeLuca emerging from the minor leagues and in need of more playing time at the big league level, Peralta probably won’t be back with the Dodgers.
Dodger fans will miss the “Freight Train.”
Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
