Los Angeles Angels

Player Report Card: Los Angeles Angels' Gregorio Petit

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

With the Los Angeles Angels season being over, lets take a look back on how the 2016 season was for Gregorio Petit.

Although the 2016 season wasn’t so bright for the Los Angeles Angels, they did manage to find some gems that will help them along the way towards their path to success.

A key gem that Angels’ GM Billy Eppler managed to stumble upon last off-season was the 31-year old infielder Gregorio Petit.

Last off-season, Petit was signed to a minor-league deal after playing for the Yankees for a brief stint. Before being signed to the Angels, Petit started a lifetime of 82 big league games.

When starting SS Andrelton Simmons went down with a thumb injury that would have him sidelined for six weeks, Petit stepped into the Angels starting lineup and provided solid depth.

His numbers don’t blow you away. Having played 89 games for the Angels, a career high, Petit’s batting line sits at .245/.299/.348.

It would be nice to see Petit’s on base percentage be a little higher, but his total OPS sits at .647. Which is not terrible for a back up infielder.

Concerning his defense, Petit is no Simmons by any means. But, he was arguably better than Angels’ recent second baseman Johnny Giavotella. In the 89 games played this season, Petit committed 8 errors. His fielding percentage was .970.

What Petit is most known for and why he was originally given a minor-league deal was because of his flexibility.

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Petit’s natural position is shortstop. However, he saw most of his starts at second base (50) and even played third base and some outfield.

Petit does not have the talent to be an everyday infielder. But that’s not what h was brought to the Angels to do. Petit’s role for the Los Angeles Angels ball club is to provide depth and stability for most infield positions and he did just that during the 2016 season.

Angels’ GM Billy Eppler has made yet another under-the-radar move that has seemed to pay off in 2016. Petit is a good option as a utility player and I expect him to be back with the club for the 2017 season.

Grade: B-