2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #41 Alexander Perez

Alexander Perez - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 07/24/1989 – Height: 6’2” – Weight: 156 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

History: Perez was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent in May of 2007 out of the Dominican Republic. After coming down with elbow tendonitis at the end of spring training last year, the Indians eventually shut him down and he underwent Tommy John surgery in May.

Strengths: Perez throws a fastball that sits at 89-91 MPH and has touched 93 MPH, and complements it with a curveball and changeup. He gets good sink on his fastball and commands it well to both sides of the plate, and because of his arm strength and how he works so easy with his delivery there is still potential for velocity gains as he matures. Both his curveball and changeup are above average secondary offerings with plus potential as he shows an ability to consistently throw both for strikes and command them well in the zone. His curveball has the potential to become an out pitch at the big league level as it has some good, hard break and he gets a lot of swing and misses with it. His changeup is still improving but has good action in the zone and he creates some very good deception with it because of some excellent arm action.

Perez shows a good feel for pitching and does a very good job of limiting mistakes by not allowing a lot of walks and induces a good amount of groundballs. He creates some deception in his delivery where he is very soft when he breaks his hands and leaves the rubber and then suddenly has a very fast arm firing the ball to the plate. He shows a lot of confidence on the mound and is very focused on what he needs to do to get the job done. Even when things are going well he maintains his positive approach and carries himself well. He has gained over 30 pounds since he was signed almost four years ago, though is still a very tall and lanky loose bodied pitcher who has lots of room for growth.

Opportunities: Perez shows a lot of ability with his secondary stuff, but to make him a better pitcher and to be able to compete at the higher levels he needs to develop more confidence in his fastball. He often relies on his advanced secondary stuff to get hitters out at the lower levels, but that is not going to work as he gets into the higher levels. That being said, in addition to getting him back on the field and healthy in 2011 the Indians want to see him throw more fastballs. His rehab from Tommy John may actually help in that regard as he will initially be limited to throwing almost only fastballs, so it could be an opportunity for him to not only regain his confidence in his health but to also become more confident in his fastball. He also needs to continue refining his delivery mechanics by keeping his head straight in his follow through as at times it has a tendency to pull off to the side which affects his command. He also needs to continue working out to get bigger and stronger in order to be able to handle the workload of being a starting pitcher.

Outlook: Even though he is coming off of a serious injury, Perez is still young and has the stuff to become a middle of the rotation starter in the big leagues. His prospect status has taken a big hit because of the injury, but if he can prove healthy and get back to the pitcher he once was he should have no problem elevating himself back up near the top of the Indians starting pitching ranks. He is in the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, and should be on a tight pitch and inning count in 2011. He will likely open the season in extended spring training to complete his rehab, and then join up with High-A Kinston or Double-A Akron later in the year.

Year	Age	Team	Level	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	11.6	1.09
2008	18	GCL Indians	R	2	4	4.26	10	9	50.2	37	24	5	16	49	.204	2.8	8.7	1.05
2009	19	Lake County	A	5	4	3.04	15	15	83	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	8.9	1.31
2010	20	Kinston	A+	0	1	2.70	2	2	6.2	5	2	0	2	8	.200	2.7	10.8	1.05
		MiLB Totals		9	13	3.25	48	43	221.1	184	80	18	64	228	.223	2.6	9.3	1.12

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