The Detroit Tigers have decided to give shortstop John Peck some extra work, inviting him to play in the Arizona Fall League, which begins this weekend.
Peck, 24, played in 24 games for the Tigers, hitting .168 in 68 at-bats.
“I learned so much being around these guys,” Peck told the Free Press on Sept. 27. “Just learning how to do things the right way and be a big leaguer. So just gonna take those things into this offseason and everything moving forward. So yeah, I'm excited.”
Peck, who hits right-handed, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Pepperdine. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 31.
Peck had the typical up-and=down moments that
just about every rookie – not named Kevin McGonigle − goes through. For the most part, he played outstanding, reliable defense. Yes, there were glitches: He did have a pair of throwing errors in one inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“At first you feel a little uncomfortable just because that's part of everything,” Peck said. “It takes so much time to settle in and get comfortable, and that's all part of the process. But I've gotten more comfortable, for sure, and it's been super fun being around all these guys. It's been crazy, crazy year and good experience, for sure.”
But Tigers manager A.J. Hinch continues to believe in him.
“I want the ball hit to him,” Hinch said, in different ways, several times during the season.
Which is the highest form of compliment that Hinch can give.
Peck is going to the Arizona Fall League because he had such a limited season. He played just 70 total games in 2026: 58 at Double-A, 24 with the Tigers, six in Florida during rehab starts and just six at Triple-A.
Yes, it was a strange season.
And it's important for the Tigers to know exactly what they have in this gifted shortstop, giving him as much experience as possible to answer a big question: Can he hit enough to be the Tigers' starting shortstop moving forward?
This whirlwind year started when Peck was invited to Tigers spring training. and he quickly impressed. He started out the season at Double-A Erie, hitting .285 with 10 homers in 58 games with an .839 OPS. He was promoted to Toledo in late June but was injured after two games, suffering a hamstring injury.
After recovering from that injury, he returned to Toledo on Aug. 25. But after just four games at the Triple-A level, he was moved to the big leagues.
In total, Peck has played 278 games in the Tigers' minor league system, hitting .288 with 287 strikeouts and 101 walks. But he found some power over the last two seasons. He hit 11 homers in 2025 and 11 in 70 games in 2026.
The Arizona Fall League begins Friday, Oct. 3, and Peck will join seven other players from the Tigers organization on the Scottsdale Scorpions. Five of those are pitchers who saw significant time at High-A West Michigan: Logan Berrier, Jalen Evans, Preston Howey, Maddox Long and Win Scott.
The Tigers will also send their top two prospects, according to MLB Pipeline: No. 1 Zyhir Hope and No. 2 Bryce Rainer.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers send John Peck to Arizona Fall League to see what his bat can do
