Santiago Perez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Diego Padres #20 prospect in 2001
  Desperately seeking a solution at shortstop, the Padres have tried to increase their options this offseason. They signed free agent Alex Arias, picked Donaldo Mendez in the major league Rule 5 draft and traded for Perez. The 2000 Triple-A World Series MVP, Perez may have the best chance to start for San Diego among the group, though he'll also have to contend with Kevin Nicholson. Perez has the arm, hands and range teams want in a shortstop. But he also has a maddening tendency to get lackadaisical in the field, contributing heavily to his 33 errors last season, including six in 20 games with Milwaukee. He encouraged the Brewers when he batted .298 with 14 homers in 1998, but those numbers were fueled by Double-A El Paso's bandbox ballpark and he hasn't approached them since. He has the speed to steal bases, though he hinders his value by chasing too many pitches and not reaching base consistently.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #6 prospect in 1999
  Background: The Brewers hit the jackpot last season with Perez, who was considered something of a throw-in in the Mike Myers-Bryce Florie deal with Detroit. After languishing in Class A with the Tigers, Perez had a breakthrough season in Double-A and earned a promotion to Triple-A. He easily was the surprise of the organization. Strengths: Perez has an above-average arm, good speed and impressive range. He surprised the Brewers with his pop at the plate, though his numbers may have been inflated by playing in hitter-friendly El Paso. Weaknesses: A free swinger at the plate, Perez seldom walks and strikes out a lot. He also is prone to rushing his throws and doing too much in the field, resulting in careless errors (42 in 141 games in 1998). The Future: Perez will return to Louisville to open the 1999 season. The Brewers now consider themselves covered at shortstop should Mark Loretta or Jose Valentin stumble in the big leagues.