Sam Petersen Stats & Scouting Report

AB	22
AVG	.364
OBP	.4
SLG	.591
HR	0

Full name Samuel Matthew Petersen
Born 01/20/2003 in Ankeny, IA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Iowa
Drafted in the 8th round (230th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2024 (signed for $230,900).

View Draft Report

School: Iowa
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade: 40/High
Tools: Hit: 40. Power: 45. Run: 60. Field: 55. Arm: 45.

Petersen is a 6-foot, 200-pound outfielder who has provided a solid blend of speed and power for Iowa throughout his career. He had 11 homers and a team-best 20 stolen bases in a standout 2023 season and is a career .305/.424/.530 hitter in his three seasons with the program. Petersen dealt with shin splints during the 2024 season which wound up ending his year in late April, but scouts saw enough to think of him as a potential mid-day two talent. He’s solidly built and employs a crouched stance in the righthanded batter’s box with solid bat speed and the raw power to homer to both gaps, though his offensive game does come with a decent amount of swing and miss. He owns a career 22.5% strikeout rate and this spring he made contact at a 72% overall rate. Petersen is a powerful runner who turns in plus home-to-first times out of the box and has gone 40-for-44 (90.9%) in stolen bases in his three years with the program. That speed might give him a chance in center field in pro ball, though he has mostly played left field at Iowa and his fringy arm is probably not the best fit in right.

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Draft Prospects

School: Iowa Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade: 40/High
Tools: Hit: 40. Power: 45. Run: 60. Field: 55. Arm: 45.

Petersen is a 6-foot, 200-pound outfielder who has provided a solid blend of speed and power for Iowa throughout his career. He had 11 homers and a team-best 20 stolen bases in a standout 2023 season and is a career .305/.424/.530 hitter in his three seasons with the program. Petersen dealt with shin splints during the 2024 season which wound up ending his year in late April, but scouts saw enough to think of him as a potential mid-day two talent. He’s solidly built and employs a crouched stance in the righthanded batter’s box with solid bat speed and the raw power to homer to both gaps, though his offensive game does come with a decent amount of swing and miss. He owns a career 22.5% strikeout rate and this spring he made contact at a 72% overall rate. Petersen is a powerful runner who turns in plus home-to-first times out of the box and has gone 40-for-44 (90.9%) in stolen bases in his three years with the program. That speed might give him a chance in center field in pro ball, though he has mostly played left field at Iowa and his fringy arm is probably not the best fit in right.