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Perez has big league catching dreams. (Photo: Tony Lastoria) |
Perez, 21, hit .159 (7-for-44) with 0 HR, 5 RBI and a .417 OPS in 11 games out in the AFL. While the numbers were poor, it was not much of a surprise considering he hit .217 (82-for-378) with 6 HR, 38 RBI and a .699 OPS at Low-A Lake County this past season.
The offensive side of the game is something that Perez obviously still needs a lot of work on. He made some progress this season with his approach as he walked 80 times and struck out only 88 times, but the results when he puts the ball in play were not good this year.
As a player going into the AFL with no experience above Low-A, Perez was expected to struggle. The hope is by being around some of the high profile hitting prospects that maybe he was able to draw on their success and maybe take a thing or two from them.
"It [felt] good and was a surprise for me [to go to the AFL],” Perez said in a recent interview with the IPI. “Being there with a lot of older guys already in Double-A and Triple-A and on the 40-man roster [was] good as I [got] a lot of experience from all the players. Even when I [was] behind the plate or in the dugout I [got] to see their approach. Since I am young, it [helped] me to watch all the hitters."
One of the more impressive things from Perez’s season at Lake County is while he only hit .217 he still had a .360 on-base percentage. This was due to the large amount of walks he piled up, and may be the foundation to him eventually becoming a serviceable hitter.
"I know my average was not there and all that, but I was just finding a way to get on base,” Perez said. “During the season I struggled with the bat, so I had to go play defense. This offseason I am just going to work on my hitting because with my catching I feel I am doing everything I need to do. I have been working some with my hands as I open up too soon so I foul off pitches and hit groundballs. I need to get my hands through the ball.”
If the offense can ever come for Perez where he can just hold his own at the plate, there is no doubt he will play in the Major Leagues because he is an outstanding defensive catcher. He does everything well behind the plate with calling games, handling a pitching staff, blocking, receiving, and shutting down a running game. He has it all to at least be an above average defensive catcher in the big leagues, but the offense is the key and is something he will need to continue to work on as he moves up the minor league ladder.
"For me the most important thing is catching,” Perez said. “I focus on that and then on my offense. “I am pretty happy with my defense as I have done a lot of good things to become a good defensive catcher. I think what helped me most was last winter. I played winter ball at home in Puerto Rico, so I worked with some big league catchers over there."
Speaking of winter ball, Perez is on his way home to play for Indios de Mayaguez, one of the teams in the Puerto Rico Winter League. Very few young players go out to winter ball as they barely play, but even though they are not playing they can still gain a lot of knowledge by being in that environment and observing how more experienced players play and prepare for games. He is also considered the future starting catcher of the Mayaguez team, so they want him there to prepare him for his eventual transition in his role from backup to starter.
"Mayaguez [was] waiting for me until I [was] done with [the AFL],” Perez said. “I want to keep playing, and I think it will be another good experience getting to play with a lot of older guys out in winter ball who have played for eight to ten years. I know I won't play a lot, but I am just going to work out, practice, and if I get a chance to play I'll be ready."
Perez was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 29th round of the 2006 Draft. He did not sign and instead went to play for Lake City Community College in Florida before the Indians ended up selecting him in the 33rd round of the 2008 Draft. He was ready to get his pro career going, and his drop in the draft was the extra push needed to make him decide to forego his final two years of eligibility at college and sign with the Indians.
"I had a full scholarship to go to college, but I was going to sign anyway,” Perez said. “After the first day of the draft I said since I wasn’t drafted that I will probably go to college again. Then the 33rd round came along and the Indians drafted me and I was like ‘oh what do I do?’ It was just me and my mom, so she said it was my decision, so I said I didn't want to go back to college and I decided to sign. It wasn't for a lot of money, but I just wanted to play.”
After signing with the Indians in August of 2008, Perez did not immediately report to the then rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League and instead went to Instructional League for his first pro exposure. It was there that he began the hard work to get back in shape where in the offseason going into the 2009 season he lost about 20 pounds.
Perez’s weight loss helped him breakout as a legit catching prospect in 2009, a year where he began the season in extended spring training. He caught a lot of former Indians’ right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook’s bullpen sessions while he rehabbed in Arizona, and he also went to Triple-A Columbus for a few weeks to be the bullpen catcher.
Between the weight loss and getting to work with more experienced players, Perez feels it was what helped him make a big jump in 2009 and put his name in the discussion as a possible future big league catching option.
"In college I didn't know how to properly prepare,” Perez said. “When I first got to Instructional League I was out of shape. So getting in shape is the main thing I think helped me a lot [as well as] learning to stay focused and make every pitch count."
Perez is now a legit catching prospect in the Indians organization, and one they will continue work to develop as a hitter and fine tune as a catcher. If he can continue to improve offensively, his dreams of playing in the big leagues some day may come true.
"I gotta be ready every day and just go out and perform,” Perez said. “I thank the Cleveland Indians for giving me the opportunity to play every day. I just want to make it there."
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling stateside).
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