Indians Top 50: #16 Alexander Perez

Alexander Perez - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 07/24/1989 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 156 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2007	17	DSL Indians	R	1	2	2.90	13	10	49.2	41	16	3	13	64	.218	2.4	11.7	1.10
2008	18	GCL Indians	R	2	4	4.26	10	9	50.2	37	24	5	16	49	.204	2.9	8.8	1.06
2009	19	Lake County	A	5	4	3.04	15	15	83.0	69	28	9	24	76	.223	2.6	8.2	1.12
2009	19	Kinston	A+	1	2	2.87	8	7	31.1	32	10	1	9	31	.264	2.6	9.0	1.32
		Totals		9	12	3.27	46	41	214.2	179	78	18	62	220	.224	2.6	9.2	1.13

History: Perez was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent in May 2007 out of the Dominican Republic.  He allowed two earned runs or less in 20 of his 23 outings last year, and in one of those three outings he allowed only three earned runs.  His most forgettable performance of the year last season was on May 21st when he went just three innings and allowed eight earned runs and four home runs.  He was shutdown for three weeks in August because of a sore shoulder.

Strengths & Opportunities: Perez throws a standard three pitch mix of a fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball sits at 89-91 MPH and has touched 93 MPH, and his arm is so strong and works so easy that with maturity the Indians expect he is going to add more velocity.  He locates his fastball well to both sides of the plate with some sink to it.  His curveball and changeup are much more advanced than most players his age as the way he consistently throws them for strikes and his unbelievable command in the zone is something you don't see from pitchers his age.  Both are already above average pitches and both have the potential to be plus pitches and out pitches at the major league level, especially the curveball which is already a swing-and-miss pitch for him.  The curveball is the slightly better of the two pitches and shows some good, hard break to it, and he has the confidence and ability to throw it in any count he wants on any given day.  His changeup has okay action in the zone and is still improving, but his arm action is so good that it fools the hitter right out of the hand that it gets them out on their front foot.

Perez has proven to be one of the best pitchers in the organization at controlling what he can control by limiting their walks, getting strikeouts, and putting the ball on the ground.  He shows a good feel for pitching, and with his exceptional secondary stuff, if his fastball comes and he is consistently sitting in the low 90s with it he has the potential to be a consistent major league pitcher.  He has a little bit of deception in the way he throws as he is kind of very soft when he breaks his hands and leaves the rubber and then all of a sudden has a very fast arm.  He is a very loose bodied pitcher, and has a good frame that should fill out and blow up the next two seasons.  He is still tall and lanky, but has added about 25 pounds of weight to his frame since signing with the Indians in May of 2007 and will continue to do so.  When he is between the white lines he is focused on getting the job done, and whether he has a good or bad outing he remains positive and is the same kid coming into the locker room with the same smile.  He is a very mature player, and carries himself well.

While Perez has shown the ability to throw strikes and get hitters out with plus secondary stuff, going forward it is all about developing his confidence in his fastball.  He knows his secondary stuff is so good so it is easy for him to get caught up in using it, but the Indians want him to develop the fastball and increase his usage of it since it will be a key pitch in his arsenal as he moves up to the higher levels in the system.  After a very impressive performance the first half of the season at Low-A Lake County, the Indians sent him to High-A Kinston to challenge him and get him to understand that he needs to pitch and get outs with his fastball.  Near the end of the season he started to get better and better with his fastball usage which will allow him to pitch deeper into games in the future.  With his stuff he doesn't need a lot of velocity with his fastball to be successful, he just needs to command it well and understand how to attack the swing because he can command three pitches.

In addition to paying more attention to his fastball usage, Perez is also learning to refine himself as a pitcher.  The Indians have worked with him on keeping his head straight with his follow through as sometimes his head will pull off to the side which in turn affects his command.  They also have worked with him on tightening up his mannerisms on the mound as while he is just a very confident player he sometimes comes off as being cocky.  He is still tall and lanky, so adding more strength and bulk is a must if he is to be able to handle the workload of a starting pitcher.  He is still learning to more consistently pound the zone with his fastball and refine his secondary stuff, and once he does a better job of repeating his mechanics he'll have even better command of all his pitches.

Outlook:  Perez has the stuff to potentially be a front end of the rotation starter, but is more ideal projection is as a middle of the rotation big league starter.  The Indians have been high on him from the day they signed him, and he continues to elevate his prospect status every year and is now one of the top pitching prospects in the organization.  He is the next big pitching prospect coming up from the lower levels of the Indians system who should become much more of a household name over the coming years, and he is a player to definitely watch grow and develop the next few seasons.  He should open the 2010 season in the High-A Kinston starting rotation and potentially finish the season at Double-A Akron.

Photo courtesy of Tony Lastoria

Alexander Perez MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

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