Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

A three-year starter at Pepperdine, Peck got scouts excited with a breakout sophomore campaign in 2022, hitting .361/.417/.578 to earn all-WCC first team honors. He struggled with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League last summer and never really got it going as hoped during his junior year, leading to questions about his future at the next level.

Evaluators thought Peck could be one of those middle-infield college-performer types who invariably rises up Draft boards over the course of the spring. Instead, he struggled to find consistency at the plate. The right-handed hitter is handsy with solid bat speed, but there are mechanical issues with his setup and swing that have led to concerns about making contact. He’s a long strider who crashes to the ball, which in turn often makes his head move. He did OK against fastballs in 2023, but really struggled to lay off of and do damage with offspeed and breaking stuff.

An average runner, Peck does have good defensive actions and at least an above-average arm, which could give him the chance to stick at shortstop, at least at the outset of his pro career. Some see second base as a better long-term fit and the fact he’s played three infield positions and some outfield could help him fit in a future utility role. A team taking him on Day 2 will think his hitting mechanics can be fixed and that he has a chance to be an everyday guy up the middle.

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 40

Peck was an undersized shortstop in high school until a senior-year growth spurt and a visit to Pepperdine’s camp earned him his only Division I option. Former Tigers shortstop Danny Worth, then a coach on Pepperdine’s staff, recruited Peck to the Waves and then reworked his swing to get more impact. It paid off with an all-West Coast Conference sophomore season in 2022, but a tough summer in the Cape Cod League and a subpar junior season sent him falling down Draft boards. The Tigers were the beneficiary, getting him in the seventh round in 2023 and then watching him break out in 2025 to climb all the way to Double-A Erie and earn a non-roster invite to Major League camp, where his work made an impression on Detroit’s staff.

While Peck’s calling card is his defense, he has enough impact at the plate to punish pitchers for mistakes. He has a relatively quiet swing other than a leg kick for timing, but he’s capable of hard contact for line drives around the field. His walk rate dropped a bit last year as he took a slightly more aggressive approach, but his strikeout rate remained relatively steady. He’s opportunistic on the basepaths and capable of sneaky speed to take an extra bag. Peck is an elite defender with smooth movements, good pitch anticipation and a fairly strong arm. He can play around the infield.

Though Peck might be the best defensive shortstop in the Tigers system, his bat will determine how much Detroit can do with that, whether he has a chance to compete for a shortstop role in the big leagues or fits better as a utility infielder who can hit lefties hard. He’ll likely open the season back at Double-A Erie but could advance quickly given his age.

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 40

Peck won All-WCC First Team honors as a sophomore at Pepperdine after hitting .361/.417/.578 over 40 games in 2022, but a down summer in the Cape Cod League and regression as a junior caused him to drop to the seventh round in ’23. The infielder was a solid performer with a 121 wRC+ over 73 games at Single-A Lakeland and High-A West Michigan in his first full season and has taken another step forward with his performance back in the Midwest League for his age-22 campaign this summer.

A right-handed hitter, Peck has calmed his pre-swing setup quite a bit, going from putting his hands high above his head in ’24 to a lowered and more relaxed position this year. He still employs a leg kick to get going, but it’s not as loose as it was in school either. That leads to an all-fields approach with almost as many opposite-field balls in play as pulled shots. His overall power numbers graded out quite well in the Florida State League, and he’s carried that to the higher level, looking more like a double-digit homer threat. He has gotten more aggressive and chase-heavy, but the bat control allows him to keep K’s at a subpar but tenable rate.

A solid athlete, Peck has played primarily shortstop and third base with the Whitecaps and has plenty of arm for the left side of the infield, though accuracy can be an occasional problem. He’s seen more time at the six following Kevin McGonigle’s promotion to Double-A, and Tigers coaches believe he can handle the position on an everyday position with some analytical evaluations having him as one of the Minors' best defenders on the dirt. Peck could be a utilityman with the glove and enough bat to fill in anywhere on the infield at the top level.

Awards

MID Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

MID Player of the Week

Week	Team
08/03/2025
06/29/2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	SS John Peck assigned to Detroit Tigers Prospects.
	02/12/2026	Detroit Tigers invited non-roster SS John Peck to spring training.
	08/11/2025	SS John Peck assigned to Erie SeaWolves from West Michigan Whitecaps.
	03/16/2025	SS John Peck assigned to Detroit Tigers Prospects.
	03/06/2025	activated SS John Peck.
	08/16/2024	SS John Peck assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps from Lakeland Flying Tigers.
	07/01/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers activated SS John Peck from the 7-day injured list.
	07/01/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers activated SS John Peck from the 7-day injured list.
	06/18/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers sent SS John Peck on a rehab assignment to FCL Tigers.
	06/18/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers sent SS John Peck on a rehab assignment to FCL Tigers.
	05/01/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers placed SS John Peck on the 7-day injured list.
	05/01/2024	Lakeland Flying Tigers placed SS John Peck on the 7-day injured list.
	03/20/2024	SS John Peck assigned to Detroit Tigers.
	08/24/2023	SS John Peck assigned to Lakeland Flying Tigers from FCL Tigers.
	08/24/2023	Lakeland Flying Tigers activated SS John Peck.
	08/01/2023	SS John Peck assigned to FCL Tigers.
	07/17/2023	Detroit Tigers signed SS John Peck.
	06/12/2023	SS John Peck assigned to College Workout.