2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #49 Roberto Perez

Roberto Perez - Catcher
Born: 12/23/1988 – Height: 6’0” – Weight: 200 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

History: Perez was selected by the Indians in the 33^rd round of the 2008 Draft out of Lake City Community College (FL). He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 29^th round of the 2006 Draft.  In the offseason he got a rare opportunity as a player from Low-A to go out to the Arizona Fall League where in 11 games he went 7-for-44 at the plate with 0 HR, 5 RBI and had a 3-11 walk to strikeout rate.  He then went out to the Puerto Rico Winter League and in 15 games went 9-for-29 at the plate with an 8-6 walk to strikeout rate.

Strengths: Perez is a defensive minded catcher who is still developing as a hitter. He has average power with some occasional pop in his bat, and is a patient hitter with an advanced approach at the plate. His patience and high walk rate may be the foundation to what eventually makes him a more serviceable hitter. As a defender, Perez is considered to have the ability to catch right now in the big leagues and has the potential to be an excellent major league defensive catcher. His quick, powerful, accurate right arm and ability to control the running game is definitely an asset as he led the 16-team Midwest League in fielding percentage among catchers and finished 2nd in caught stealing percentage. The Indians have been very pleased with his leadership abilities and the way he handles a pitching staff, calls games, receives the ball, and blocks balls in the dirt.

Perez has come a long way physically as when he first reported to the Indians after signing in 2008 he was very out of shape. He lost over 20 pounds going into the 2009 season and it helped him make big strides that year. During the 2009 season he also caught a lot of former Indians’ right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook’s bullpen sessions while he rehabbed in Arizona and 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, it served as a springboard to make him the catcher he is today.

Opportunities: The offensive side of his game is something that Perez still needs a lot of work on.  He made some progress last season with a much improved approach at the plate, but he still had a poor season as a hitter when he put the ball in play. To improve as a hitter he needs to continue to work on getting his hands through the ball since he has a tendency to open up too soon and foul off pitches and hit groundballs. One area that he is still refining defensively is his pitch calling in situations he knows a team will run in, as well as maintaining good tempo and footwork with his throws.

Outlook: There is no question Perez was the glue to the Low-A Lake County team that won the Midwest League championship last year as he worked extremely well with the pitching staff all season, shut down the opposing team's running game, and was very good defensively behind the plate with his blocking and receiving. 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 of his outstanding defensive abilities. He needs a lot of work on becoming a more consistent hitter at the plate, though he made good strides last year with his approach at the plate drawing 80 walks and putting up a .360 on-base percentage. He should open the 2011 season as the starting catcher at High-A Kinston.

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2009	20	Mahoning Valley	A-	4	14	3	3	1	0	0	1	1	4	0	.214	.267	.286	.553
2009	20	AZL Indians	R	34	131	24	46	12	0	3	31	16	28	4	.351	.438	.511	.949
2009	20	Lake County	A	17	50	10	12	1	0	0	5	8	19	0	.240	.381	.260	.641
2010	21	Lake County	A	118	378	54	82	22	3	6	38	80	88	1	.217	.360	.339	.699
		Totals		173	573	91	143	36	3	9	75	105	139	5	.250	.377	.370	.747

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