Jhonny Antonio Peralta (born May 28, 1982) is a Dominican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

who played 15 seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

signed him as an amateur free agent in his native

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

in 1999, and he made his major league debut for the Indians on June 12, 2003. He subsequently played for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

. A solid hitter with

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

, Peralta has rated average defensively. He throws and bats right-handed, stands , and weighs . Peralta was the 2004 Indians Minor League Player of the Year as well as the International League Most Valuable Player for one of Cleveland's

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

affiliates, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, after

batting Batting may refer to: *Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs *Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ru ...

.326 with 44 doubles, 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 86

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. Buffalo was also the International League champion that same season. Each year from 2005 through 2015, Peralta reached at least 100

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, and double figures in both home runs and doubles. He is a three-time

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

selection. He set single-season home run records for shortstops for two franchises – for the Indians in 2005, and the Cardinals in 2014. While a member of the Tigers in 2013, he served a 50-game suspension for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. In 2017 he signed with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, but was released less than a month later without having played in a game for the team.

Playing career (1999–2017)

Minor leagues (1999–2004)

The

signed Peralta as an amateur free agent in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and assigned him to the

Dominican Summer League Indians The Dominican Summer League Guardians are a minor league baseball team in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. They are a Rookie-level team in the Dominican Summer League and are an affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Since 2011, the DSL Guardians ha ...

that season. Peralta batted .303 with a .398

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

(OBP) and a .514

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

(SLG); 41 percent of his hits went for extra bases. Those figures were boosted by an unsustainable .373

batting average on balls in play In baseball statistics, batting average on balls in play (abbreviated BABIP) is a measurement of how often batted balls result in hits, excluding home runs. It can be expressed as, "when you hit the ball and it’s not a home run, what’s your b ...

(BABIP). Nevertheless, the Indians promoted him aggressively. In 2000, the 18-year-old Peralta played for the

Columbus RedStixx The Columbus RedStixx were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and a farm team of the Cleveland Indians. The RedStixx played home games at Golden Park, except during 1996. The ...

, the Class A affiliate of the Indians in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. He batted .241 in 106 games, playing all but one game at

(the other was at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

). The following season he advanced to the

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

, the Cleveland Indians

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

affiliate in the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. In 125 games, he batted .240. In 2002, Peralta moved up to the Double-A

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

, where he hit .281. In 2003, he batted .257 in 63 games with the

. After his 2003 call up to the major leagues, Peralta began to draw widespread attention for his hitting with the Aeros and Bisons. In 2004, he batted .326 with 15

s (HR) and 86

(RBI). He also scored 109 runs and stroked 44 doubles, the most ever in the Bisons' modern era, followed by 39 for

Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Ne ...

in 2014. This offensive leap helped him win the

International League Most Valuable Player Award The International League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor Le ...

that year and helped Buffalo win the Governors' Cup as the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

champions. He also received the

Lou Boudreau Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "The Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a ...

Award as the Indians' 2004 Minor League Player of the Year.

Cleveland Indians (2003–10)

Peralta made his Major League debut with Cleveland on June 12,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, filling in for the injured

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

shortstop

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indi ...

. He finished with a .227

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with four home runs and 21 RBIs. The next season, despite his accomplishments at the Triple-A level, Peralta saw just 25

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s (AB) in eight games at the major league level due to the presence of perennial fan-favorite Vizquel, who left the Indians as a free agent following the 2004 season. Peralta became Cleveland's full-time starting shortstop early in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and batted .292. On July 3, he became affixed in the Indians' third slot in the batting order. Cleveland then won 23 of their next 33 games to put them one game behind the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in the Wild Card race late in August. He joined

Woodie Held Woodson George "Woodie" Held (March 25, 1932 – June 11, 2009) was a shortstop/outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, ...

as the only shortstops in Indians history to hit at least 20 home runs. His 24 home runs and 78 RBI set records for an Indians shortstop. On March 10, 2006, Peralta agreed to a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year to stay with the Indians until the 2011 season. However, his 2006 season saw a decline both offensively and defensively from the previous season. At the start of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 2007, it was revealed that Peralta suffered from vision problems in 2006 and had corrective

LASIK LASIK or Lasik (''laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis''), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism, since ...

eye surgery to deal with it. After breaking an 0 for 8 skid on May 1, 2009, against the

, Peralta's 86th career home run with the Indians broke the team record for shortstops that Woodie Held held. His solo home run provided the margin of victory for Cleveland in a 6–5 score. Peralta hit his first

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score a ...

on July 18, 2010, against

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Andy Oliver Andrew Allen Oliver (born December 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. College Oliver was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of the ...

on a play in which

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Ryan Raburn Ryan Neil Raburn (born April 17, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals. While primarily an out ...

crashed through the bullpen door attempting to catch the ball.

Detroit Tigers (2010–13)

Ten days after hitting his first inside-the-park-home-run against the Tigers, the Indians traded Peralta to the Tigers for minor league pitcher

Giovanni Soto Giovanni Luis Soto (born May 18, 1991) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball in 2015 and for the Puerto Rican national baseball team in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseba ...

and cash considerations. Because the club had already retired the number 2 – Peralta's uniform number as an Indian – in honor of

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...

, he chose the number 27 instead. On July 30, Peralta hit a home run in his first

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

(PA) as a Tiger, and then, another, two plate appearances later. After joining the Tigers, he returned to primarily playing shortstop. He made 46 appearances shortstop, nine at third base, four at designated hitter and two at first base for the remainder of the 2010 season. Jhonny Peralta 2011

Peralta was named to his first career

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

as a replacement for

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

on July 8, 2011. He finished the regular season with a career-high .299 batting average and collected 21 home runs and 86 RBI. Playing a full season at shortstop for the first time since 2008, he committed just seven errors in 608 chances for a career-best .988

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Peralta hit his first walk-off home run as a Tiger against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

on May 4,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. On June 20,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, Peralta hit a walkoff two-run home run off

closer Andrew Bailey to secure the Tigers' victory, 4–3. It was the Tigers' first walkoff win of the season. That season, Peralta was named to his second AL All-Star team as a reserve shortstop. This was his first selection by player vote (his previous selection was as an injury replacement). Peralta entered the All-Star break with a .303 batting average, eight home runs and 46 RBIs. However, a cloud overshadowed what was shaping to be one of Peralta's best seasons. On August 5, he accepted a 50-game suspension for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. On September 25, the Tigers announced that Peralta would be activated to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

following his suspension. He returned two days later for the final series of the regular season. In his shortened regular season, Peralta batted .303 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 107 games. Because Detroit had acquired rookie shortstop José Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox during the suspension,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Jim Leyland James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He serves as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Leyland led the Florida Marlins to the 19 ...

installed Peralta mainly in left field for the remainder of the season and playoffs. The Tigers, including

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Dave Dombrowski David Dombrowski (born July 27, 1956) is an American baseball executive who serves as the President of Baseball Operations for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Dombrowski also previously served as the general manager of ...

, expressed exoneration of Peralta's breach following the suspension. Despite derisive chants from fans and actions such as the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

leaving similar violator

Melky Cabrera Melky Cabrera Astacio (born August 11, 1984), nicknamed The Melkman, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue ...

off their playoff roster during their

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

-winning season, the Tigers saw the 50-game suspension as sufficient punishment. With the Tigers down 3–0 and facing elimination against the

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

in Game 4 of the

American League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ea ...

(ALDS), Peralta connected for a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It was "perhaps the biggest swing of the playoffs for the Tigers so far", surmised sportswriter Noah Trister. The Tigers eventually won the ALDS but lost to the Red Sox in the

American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...

. In ten playoff games, Peralta batted .333 with four doubles, one home run and six runs batted in.

St. Louis Cardinals (2014–2017)

On November 24, 2013, Peralta signed a four-year contract worth $53

million One million (1,000,000), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the au ...

with the

. Featuring a declining salary structure, the contract commenced with his salary at $15.5 million in 2014, then $15 million, $12.5 million, and finally $10 million in 2017. Without a qualifying offer from the Tigers, the Cardinals were not obligated to return a first-round draft pick.

Controversy with free agent signing

However, the signing drew scrutiny because he had served the suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis scandal.

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

pitcher

Brad Ziegler Brad Gregory Ziegler (born October 10, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Miami Marlins. Ziegler was one of th ...

spearheaded a cacophony of complaints that the 50-game suspension was not enough of a deterrent, because he viewed that it failed to prevent players who violated the collective bargaining agreement's banned substances use policy to receive compensation for their performances equal to those who had not been found to violate the policy. Cabrera had signed with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

for two years and $16 million following his suspension in 2012; however, little protest had arisen from those relatively modest figures. JhonnyPeralta201403

Cardinals

John Mozeliak John Mozeliak (born January 18, 1969) is an American baseball executive who is the president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Never a professional baseball player, Mozeliak came to the Cardinals a ...

countered by illustrating that the Cardinals were not self-appointed "morality police. ... Character and makeup are something we weigh into our decision-making. In his case, he admitted what he did, he took responsibility for it. I feel like he has paid for his mistakes, and obviously if he were to make another one, then it would be a huge disappointment." New teammate and Cardinals outfielder

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for the Col ...

, an outspoken critic of

performance-enhancing drug Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

s (PED), declared indemnity. "I am against PEDs and always will be," he said at the Cardinals' winter fan festival. "But I also am a forgiving person and he served his suspension. That's the rules of the game. I'm happy to have him as a teammate. ... His teammates in Detroit welcomed him back."

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Mike Matheny Michael Scott Matheny (born September 22, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 13 seasons as a catcher ...

echoed a similar averment.

2014

On April 27,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Peralta hit his first multi-homer game in

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. It also gave him six home runs for the month, surpassing

Édgar Rentería Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo (; born August 7, 1975), nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby", is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, the ...

's club record of five in April he set for shortstops in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. Peralta surpassed another team record for shortstops Rentería set in 2000, hitting his 17th home run of the season on August 20. While he produced his usual amount of home runs, his batting average was inconsistent early in the season. In each month from April to

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

, it progressed from .196 to .237 to .241 to .252 to .270. With the second-place Pirates just a game behind in the standings with two left to play for the season, Peralta drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning against the

Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

as part of a three-RBI night. He ended the season leading the Cardinals in home runs with 21. Peralta also led the club in doubles (38) and was second in slugging percentage (.443), RBI (75), total bases (248) and games played (157). His batting average was .263 and OBP .336. In his first season in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL), Peralta ranked seventh in the league in doubles and sixth in games played. According to

Baseball-Reference.com Baseball-Reference is a website providing baseball statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics. It offers a variety of advan ...

's advanced metrics, he had his best season defensively, finishing fifth in the NL among all players – third among shortstops – with 2.6 defensive

Wins Above Replacement Wins Above Replacement or Wins Above Replacement Player, commonly abbreviated to WAR or WARP, is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic developed to sum up "a player's total contributions to his team". A player's WAR value is claimed to ...

(dWAR). His combined offensive and defensive WAR placed tenth among all NL players at 5.8. In counting and rate defensive statistics among NL shortstops, he finished second in

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s turned (98), and fifth in

(.981),

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s (191), assists (418), and range factor per nine innings (4.17). On October 23, ''The

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' announced Peralta was selected to their NL All-Star team. He finished 15th in the NL

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting, the first time in his career he received consideration for the award.

Third All-Star selection (2015)

On May 25,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, Peralta hit a walk-off home run in the tenth inning against the

, his seventh home run of the season. In his time with the Cardinals through June 1, he ranked first in extra-base hits (80) and home runs (29), third in RBI (101), second in slugging percentage (.461) and OPS (.804) and fourth in on-base percentage (.361) among MLB shortstops. On defense, he did not rely heavily on range, but on smart positioning and making the routine plays, qualifying him for +1 defensive runs saved after saving 17 the year before. He was selected as the National League's starting shortstop in the

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after batting .298 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI over the first 87 games in 2015. After the All-Star break, he batted .243, and produced three doubles and two home runs over the final two months, or 54 games. Peralta finished the season with a .275 batting average, 17 home runs, 71 RBI, 26 doubles, and 159 hits in 155 games played.

Final years with St. Louis (2016-2017)

Thumb injuries caused Peralta to miss significant time in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. While fielding a ball during spring training on March 7, he damaged an

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint * Ulnar collateral ligament of thumb The ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb runs along the ulnar side of the met ...

in his left thumb. He underwent surgery to repair the ligament and was expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks of play. He began a

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

assignment with the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peori ...

on May 20, 2016, and the club activated him for game action before a series against

on June 7. The Cardinals placed him back on the on disabled list on July 19 due to swelling in the left thumb, although that injury appeared unrelated to the torn ligament and an MRI had revealed no structural damage, per Mozeliak. In 2017 he batted .204/.259/.204. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Cardinals on June 9, 2017 and he was released on June 13.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox signed Jhonny Peralta on June 23, 2017. The Red Sox were in serious need of a third baseman after Hernandez and Holt suffered season-ending injuries, Rutledge juggled 2B and 3B after an injury to Pedroia, Marrero was struggling with his bat, and an injury-plagued Pablo Sandoval made multiple mistakes at the plate and at the hot corner before an ear infection. The Red Sox were left with Marrero at third, when Dombrowski announced the team would be making serious improvements at third. That came on the same day as the Peralta signing. Peralta never played in a Major League game for the Red Sox, and on July 13, 2017, he was released by the Red Sox.

Skills profile

The metrics for Peralta's overall career defense show him as an average shortstop. However, his numbers have improved to the point where he was once a below-average shortstop to being a well above-average defender.

Awards and accomplishments

* Set single-season franchise home run marks for shortstops for the Cleveland Indians (2005) and St. Louis Cardinals (2014) *

Minor League Player of the Year Award (2004) *

Governors' Cup champion (2004) *

(2004) * 3× Major League Baseball All Star (

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

) * ''The

All-Star at shortstop (2014)

Personal life

Peralta is married to Molly Peralta. The couple have three daughters; including, twins named Gabriela Rose and Laina Katherine.

Name spelling

While the spelling of his first name is unusual in the United States, Peralta stated many people use that spelling in the Dominican Republic. He also told the ''Santo Domingo Times'' that his spelling is right and every "Johnny" or "Johnnie" in the world is wrong.

References

;Footnotes ;Source notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peralta, Jhonny 1982 births Living people Akron Aeros players Águilas Cibaeñas players American League All-Stars Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Columbus RedStixx players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases International League MVP award winners Kinston Indians players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Major League Baseball shortstops Memphis Redbirds players National League All-Stars Palm Beach Cardinals players People from Santiago Province (Dominican Republic) Peoria Chiefs players Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players