Signed out of Nicaragua in 2022, Perez immediately showed polish for his age in the Dominican Summer League, striking out 48 batters and walking just five over 43 2/3 innings (4.53 ERA). That carried over into the Florida Complex League in ‘23, where Perez posted a 2.72 ERA over 49 2/3 innings with 57 strikeouts and 12 walks. This package is all about command and throwing strikes, which gives Perez an impressive potential floor.
Whether Perez develops the ceiling to be something even more exciting remains to be seen. He lived in the low-90s last season but has grown into a bit more velocity, spending more time in the 93-94 mph range this season. He already has a strong feel for his slider, which lives in the 82-85 mph range and could be tightened up in the coming years. He's also shown an upper-80s curveball and low-80s changeup that can get some swing-and-miss. As Perez climbs levels, more advanced and aggressive hitters will try to blitz him, knowing that he’ll be in the zone more than most pitchers in this organization.
The Blue Jays still see plenty of room for physical growth in Perez, and his development at Single-A Dunedin has been a positive one in 2024. His feel for pitching means that Perez should be able to put up some impressive numbers in Single-A and High-A, but it will be interesting to see how his stuff fares against more advanced bats. This is a unique development project for the Blue Jays that will work in reverse in some ways. Many pitchers Perez’s age have the stuff, not the feel, so the Blue Jays can now focus on maximizing the potential of his body, particularly when it comes to fastball velocity and the movement on his slider.
