Former Yankees top prospect has best spring training showing yet with Angels

Back in 2022, Oswald Peraza was the New York Yankees No. 2 overall prospect. Unfortunately for the young shortstop, at the time, the only farmhand in the system held in higher regard was Anthony Volpe, who just so happened to play the same position.

Peraza wasn't just a high-ranking Yankees prospect; he was a consensus top-100 guy in baseball. In New York, though, he never stood a chance. For better or worse, Volpe was always going to be the heir apparent at shortstop, no matter who was actually performing better.

Of course, Peraza never truly made the most of his opportunities and was mercifully (and surprisingly) shipped out to the Los Angeles Angels at last year's trade deadline.

Peraza hit a paltry .186/.245/.267 for the Angels down the 2025 stretch. Amazingly, that was an improvement over his putrid .152/.212/.241 line in pinstripes as he fumbled a golden opportunity to stake his claim to the Yankees' third base job. Without a single natural third baseman on the roster, it was all there for the taking, but he still fell flat on his face.

This spring, however, it has looked like he's put his New York trauma behind him. Through 17 games, the 25-year-old has played like a star, slashing .314/.352/.549 with two homers and six steals.

Yankees' bust Oswald Peraza is having a sizzling spring, but his future isn't without questions

This isn't the first time we've seen Peraza show out. It might be hard to remember, but when he debuted in 2022, he posted a .306/.404/.429 line in 18 games. Small sample sizes, man ... they can be unreliable.

Where he ended up after that eye-catching cup of coffee isn't entirely his fault. He's the poster child for all of the prospects the Yankees have held onto while their value turned to dust in recent years, making any success he may have extra frustrating.

Peraza has secured a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster, but as he's battled for Anaheim's starting second base job, he hasn't been able to wrestle it away from veteran utility man Adam Frazier. Angels' manager Kurt Suzuki has declined to name a starter and has indicated that it could be something of a timeshare in the early going.

The point being, spring stats don't mean that much. We'll need to see Peraza keep it up over time to truly believe in him. At the end of the day, though, this is bittersweet for Yankees fans. For some, we'll always have a soft spot for Peraza given the raw deal he got at times. On the other hand, he's also been a maddening player and was one of the absolute worst hitters in baseball last year. We wish him the best, but we'll believe his sustained success when we see it.