Mexican League Prospect: Sergio Perez
Yesterday, in the Mexican League Prospects miniseries we looked at Alan Guerrero, a 24-year-old right-handed reliever who finished second in the league with 20 saves, and his strikeout rate, 9.3 K/9, was the third best total among pitchers with 50 or more innings. Before that, on my own website (www.releasepoints), I talked about Leonardo Heras, perhaps the best MLB prospect in the Mexican League. And today, we’ll take a look at Sergio Perez.
Admittedly, there’s a fairly big drop in performance between Heras and Perez, a 22-year-old outfielder on the Sultanes de Monterrey. Last season, his third in the Mexican League, Perez hit .327/.406/.433, with 11 doubles, three triples, three homeruns, and six stolen bases while splitting most of his time between both corner outfield spots, though he made the occasional appearance at second base and center field.
Perez, failing to top 300 plate appearances for the second consecutive season, appeared in 94 games, and his overall offensive production was three-percent below the league average. But remember: the average age for hitters in the league is 29.7-years-old, more than eight years older than Perez.
Despite his age, Perez showed above-average patience – his walk rate, 11%, was about 1.5 points about the league average – and managed to strike out at the league average rate. His power – .106 ISO – is still well below the league’s standards, but it did take a noticeable step forward last season. He needs to improve upon some poor base stealing results: In 262 games, Perez has managed to swipe 15 bases in 35 tries, a 43% success rate.
Perez isn’t an overly big right-hander; he stands six feet and 180 pounds, but is likely to fill out as his body continues to mature. And given his sizeable step forward last season, he could be on the verge of becoming a starter in the Mexican League soon, maybe next season. Right now, though, it is tough see him as anything more than organizational depth for stateside teams.
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