Playing in the outfield can be lonely and downright boring. Even big-leaguers need an activity to pass the time.
White Sox center fielder Tristan Peters calls balls and strikes — or at least tries to — even though he’s roughly 300 feet from the plate.
‘‘Just to keep me occupied and make sure I’m actually watching the pitch,’’ Peters told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I’m not always right, obviously.’’
But there’s another purpose to the pastime: It helps Peters stay locked in and learn the pitches being thrown. Based on the shape and location of the pitches, Peters can cheat to a side.
That has helped him rank among the major-league leaders in defensive metrics for outfielders, most notably in jump, where he entered play Tuesday against the Royals ranked fourth at 4.3 feet above average, according to Statcast. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong leads with 5.4 feet.
Peters pays attention to the metrics, and that one is his biggest focus.
‘‘I like to look at that stuff, especially my first step, or my jump, because I’m not the fastest player,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m fast, but I’m not uber-fast. So I like to focus on my jump.’’
That jump has led to a bunch of catches in center, where he made his 21st start this season against the Royals, and right, where he has made seven. Peters gets big jumps because of a jump step he learned in the Rays’ organization. It’s part of his pre-pitch routine.
‘‘My pre-pitch is basically like an infielder’s little jump step,’’ Peters said of a move also used by Crow-Armstrong. ‘‘I wanna be in the air when [the batter] makes contact so that I can push off that. So slightly after contact, I wanna hit the ground.
‘‘I started doing that in Double-A [in 2023 with the Rays]. Then ever since, I’ve fine-tuned it, and it’s gotten a lot better. Last year [in Triple-A] is when it really started to work for me. I got my timing and everything.’’
The Sox are benefitting from everything Peters learned with the Rays, an organization known for developing prospects. But the Rays designated Peters for assignment in December, and the Sox acquired him for a player to be named. He quickly became their best defensive outfielder, ranking in a fourth-place tie among outfielders in outs above average (three).
There’s more to Peters’ game, though. In his last 18 games entering Tuesday, he was slashing .326/.380/.413. He always has been more of a contact hitter, and he’s excelling in bunting, which could help his hitting by opening holes in the infield.
There’s also his baserunning, another skill he improved with the Rays. And not just with stolen bases, a category in which he’s tied for second on the Sox with four.
‘‘That was a big thing with us in [Triple-A] last year,’’ Peters said. ‘‘We worked on our turns at second base a lot, leaning into it to get a tighter turn. That’s what I think about.
‘‘And we’re just trying to be aggressive. Our grass [at Rate Field] is a little longer than most places and plays slow.’’
Peters, however, is here mostly to stabilize an outfield that’s short on top-notch skills in the corners, where converted infielder Sam Antonacci started in left and no-longer-top-prospect Jarred Kelenic in right Tuesday. Peters has a lot of ground to cover.
And it all starts right before every pitch.
‘‘The biggest thing, honestly, is staying locked in,’’ said Peters, who played college ball at Southern Illinois in 2021. ‘‘I want the ball to come my way; I expect it to. I want to make a great play. And then just trusting my pre-pitch that I’ve had over the past few years.’’