Luis Perdomo was a Rule 5 Draft pick for the San Diego Padres pitching in Single-A only a few months ago. Now he is showing he has the potential to be a part of their big league team for years to come as the Padres rebuild.
Luis Perdomo is a name that many fans won’t know. He is a 23-year-old rookie starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres. Perdomo was a Rule 5 Draft pick taken from the St. Louis Cardinals who has never pitched above Single-A before this season.
After being selected, Perdomo began his MLB career as a reliever. He struggled greatly in this role and never looked comfortable. Perdomo posted a 9.10 ERA in fifteen relief appearances.
But Perdomo didn’t stay a reliever. He became part of the rotation in June after the Padres began moving other starting pitchers like James Shields and Andrew Cashner. As a starter, Perdomo has a 4.71 ERA in 15 starts with one complete game. Although those stats may not impress anyone, there is a reason to believe he is on the right road to success.
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On Sunday, the right-handed pitcher made franchise history for the Padres. Against the Marlins he allowed one run on six hits but recorded six double plays while completing his first MLB game. This was good enough to break the previous Padres’ induced double play record of five in 2015. The MLB record is seven and sharing it is the New York Yankees (1942) and Houston Astros (1969).
Another reason to believe he is on the right path is his monthly splits:
- April: 10.97 ERA and 2.63 WHIP
- May: 9.39 ERA and 2.35 WHIP
- June: 7.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP
- July: 3.99 ERA and 1.36 WHIP
- August: 3.24 ERA and 1.44 WHIP
Those improvements each month show that Perdomo is becoming more and more comfortable at the big league level. Keep in mind, Perdomo never pitched above Single-A before being a Padre.
Another sign of improvement is Perdomo’s above average ability to induce ground balls. The league average ground ball rate is 44.9 percent. Perdomo currently has a 59.5 percentage. This is good enough for second among all pitchers to throw at least 100 innings.
Now, Perdomo’s isn’t the Padres’ next ace just because he induces a lot of ground balls. But it is important because according to Brooks Baseball, he didn’t start throwing a sinker until this season. Furthermore, the development of Perdomo’s sinker shows he has patience and is coachable. These attributes are tough to find in young athletes and it could be the reason Perdomo remains a part of the Padres future as they rebuild.
Rule 5 Draft picks rarely make an impact on a team. Players like Josh Hamilton, Johan Santana, and Joakim Soria have all come from the Rule 5 Draft. Perdomo is not Johan Santana, but for being a Single-A player only a few months ago, he looks like he belongs here.
Perdomo’s potential is just beginning to fill out. Each month as a major leaguer he has improved. He also has developed a pitch that he is seeing great success with. And the young righty’s performance along with his attitude may be what keeps him around as part of the Padres’ future plans.