RetroSimba

When Jhonny Peralta debuted in the major leagues as the shortstop for the 2003 Indians, he formed a keystone combination with another rookie, second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Peralta was 21, the youngest position player in the major leagues, when he joined the Indians from Class AAA Buffalo in June 2003 as the replacement for injured shortstop Omar Vizquel.

“Jhonny was very solid down there (at Buffalo),” Indians manager Eric Wedge said to the Akron Beacon Journal. “Defensively, he’s been outstanding. Offensively, he’s holding his own.”

Phillips, who turned 22 in June 2003, had won the Indians’ second base spot in spring training.

Rushed rookies

When Peralta made his first major-league start (at third base) on June 13, 2003, against the Dodgers at Cleveland, Phillips was the second baseman. (The losing pitcher, in a relief stint for Cleveland, was Jake Westbrook, who eventually would be traded to St. Louis in a deal involving Ludwick.) Boxscore

The next day, June 14, Peralta started at shortstop for the first time in the big leagues and formed a keystone combination with Phillips. The two turned a double play that day. Boxscore

By the all-star break, neither Peralta (.200 batting average) nor Phillips (.210) was hitting consistently. Phillips was demoted to Buffalo. (He would return to the Indians in late August.) Peralta held onto the shortstop job.

In the Indians’ first game after the all-star break, July 17 against the Yankees, Peralta had a double, a triple and two RBI off Andy Pettitte. “He can turn around a fastball,” Wedge said of Peralta after the game. Boxscore

Mapping the future

Peralta started more games at shortstop (69) than anyone else on the 2003 Indians. In 77 games overall for Cleveland that year, Peralta had 55 hits and a .227 batting average. He made eight errors in 624 innings at shortstop and turned 43 double plays.

“Defensively, he’s already major-league ready,” Indians general manager Mark Shapiro told the Beacon Journal at the end of the season.

Said Wedge: “He’s gotten a lot better. I’m as proud of him as I am of anybody, especially with what’s been thrust on him.”

Phillips had 77 hits in 112 games for Cleveland and batted .208. He made 11 errors in 925.1 innings at second base and turned 76 double plays.

“Brandon Phillips was the largest disappointment of the summer,” Shapiro said. “But I still think he will be a very good major-league player in the future. We just have to adjust our time frame on him.

“The plan is for Peralta and Phillips to work together at Buffalo (in 2004). The hope is for them to become the keystone combination by 2005, if not earlier.”

Peralta and Phillips did spend most of the 2004 season at Buffalo. Peralta had 181 hits in 138 games at Class AAA and batted .326 with 44 doubles, 15 home runs and 86 RBI. He became the Indians’ starting shortstop in 2005.

Phillips had 158 hits in 135 games for Buffalo, batting .303 with 34 doubles, but he couldn’t win a starting job with Cleveland in 2005 and was sent back to Buffalo that year.

Just before the start of the 2006 season, Phillips was traded to the Reds and became a three-time National League all-star and Cardinals nemesis.

Previously: Reds vs. Cardinals: Easter night to remember