Miami Marlins Prospect Watch: Spotlight on Peter Mooney

Peter Mooney is a lefty-batting, right-handed throwing shortstop from Loxahatchee.

Born on August 19th, 1990, he was first drafted in the 37th round of the 2009 draft by the Chicago Cubs. He elected instead to attend college, and play ball for Palm Beach State. He was again picked in 2010, in the 46th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Still just 19, Mooney stayed in college and slashed .356/.541/.469 as a sophomore. He then transferred to South Carolina, where he put up a .280/.390/.394 slashline with the Gamecocks. He was still to travel a winding, circuitous route to the Miami Marlins, and possibly the major leagues.

A Professional

Mooney, who is 5’6″, 165 lbs., was chosen for a third time in 2011, in the 21st round by the Toronto Blue Jays. This time, he accepted, and split the second part of the 2011 playing season between the GCL Blue Jays, the Bluefield Blue Jays, and the Lansing Lugnuts. He played in 31 games in total, and slashed .286/.403/.491.

After not appearing anywhere for the 2012 season, Mooney played 2013 and 2014 between the Dunedin Blue Jays and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The Blue Jays released him on October 13th, 2014.

A New Path

Failing to find any takers in affiliated ball, Mooney played 2015 with the Canadian-American Association, for the New Jersey Jackals. In 95 games, he showed that he’s still a decent ballplayer by putting up a .263/.372/.350 slashline. After the season, the Miami Marlins signed him to a minor league contract.

Peter Mooney, Miami Marlins

In 2016, with the Jacksonville Suns, Mooney appeared in 119 contests and earned a .258/.331/.333 slashline. Promoted to triple-A in 2017, Mooney didn’t respond as well. He slashed just .213/.290/.308. There really isn’t much of a market for an undersized 26-year-old shortstop who hits just .213, but the Marlins gave him another chance. They sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .278/.316/.306 in 23 contests, good enough anyway for Spring Training invitation.

Mooney hit .364/.420/.477 for the Miami Marlins in 2018 Spring Training, which is surely good enough to make the opening day club. He was absolutely a better choice to join the parent team on opening day than some other players who did. Namely, Yadiel Rivera, who has a WAR of 0.0 over his four major league seasons. Rivera, by the way, is slashing just .194/.311/.243 in 78 games for Miami.

But Mooney didn’t break camp with the Miami Marlins, instead returning to the New Orleans Baby Cakes. In 34 games this year, he’s slashing a respectable .282/.339/.359.

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Mooney is mostly a shortstop, but he’s appeared extensively also at second base, with a little time at third as well. A career .965 fielder with a range factor of 4.06, he’s proved mostly capable in the six-hole. Not currently on the 40-man roster, the Marlins would need to pass a player through waivers in order to make room for Mooney, even after the roster expansion. All seven infielders on Miami’s 40-man roster are currently on the active roster, including Rivera.

Mooney has never been a widely-heralded prospect, getting by mostly on good old fashioned blood, guts, and glory. He’s not the hero you’ve been thinking of, but he may be the one that we need.

Next: Trevor Rogers Wins First for Grasshoppers

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