Antonio Perez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #9 prospect in 2004
  Perez came from Seattle with manager Lou Piniella in a trade for Randy Winn in October 2002. His progress had been stalled by wrist injuries the previous two seasons, but Perez stayed healthy in 2003 and spent the second half of the year in the majors. He played regularly in July, then slumped in August and saw little time in September. Perez is a capable defensive shortstop who could be a star at second base. He has soft hands, a strong arm and good instincts. He has excellent range for the position. While his power is good for a middle infielder, he's best slapping the ball into the gaps and hitting for average. He has above-average speed. Perez doesn't get good jumps or show good instincts on the bases, which limits his running and basestealing ability. He'll have to make more contact to hit effectively in the majors. With Marlon Anderson gone to the Cardinals, Perez is the frontrunner for the starting secondbase job in Tampa Bay. He has no long-term competition at the position.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #8 prospect in 2003
  The Rays acquired Perez from the Mariners for Randy Winn in the compensation deal that brought manager Lou Piniella to Tampa Bay. After a breakthrough season in 2000, Perez was limited to five games in 2001 with a broken bone in his right wrist before a hamate bone injury in the same wrist caused him to miss two months in 2002. Perez is a potential five-tool shortstop. He's a plus fielder with soft hands, a strong arm and good range. He makes consistent contact and can hit for average and power, and he has above-average speed and ability to steal bases. In addition to losing time to injuries, Perez also added 18 months to his age in 2002. Maturity and improved dedication would help overcome those. He needs to improve his footwork in order to remain at shortstop and get better jumps on the basepaths. Perez was a key component in the deal that sent Ken Griffey to Cincinnati. His star has dimmed, but as thin as the Devil Rays are in the middle infield, the trade provides him a great opportunity to turn it around. He will go to Double-A or Triple-A to begin 2003.
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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #3 prospect in 2002
  When the Mariners traded Ken Griffey, they wanted an infielder as part of the package. Cincinnati refused to give up Pokey Reese (who was not offered a contract this winter) or Gookie Dawkins (who hit .226 in Double-A this year), so Seattle wound up with Perez. He blossomed into a blue-chip prospect in 2000, but played just five games last year because he had a broken navicular bone in his right wrist. Perez is a rare five-tool shortstop. He can hit for average and power--he led the high Class A California League in slugging as a teenager-- and has basestealing speed. His strong arm, soft hands and range to both sides make him the best defensive shortstop in the organization, including the majors. Perez let success get to his head and arrived out of shape for spring training last year. He still has to work on little things, such as making more contact, getting better reads and jumps as a basestealer and improving his defensive footwork. Though he lost 2001 to an injury sustained in winter ball, Perez is still well ahead of the development curve. He'll spend this year in Double-A at age 20.
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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #3 prospect in 2001
  When the Mariners finally pulled the trigger on the Ken Griffey deal with the Reds, Perez was viewed as a consolation prize because Gookie Dawkins and other Reds prospects couldn't be had. After leading the California League in slugging percentage in a breakout 2000 season, he looks more like the key to the deal. Perez is an exciting player who can do at least a little bit of everything. He's a strong-armed defender with good range at shortstop, and he can fly on the bases. What sets him apart is what he can do at the plate. He won't hit a lot of home runs, but he should continue to drive the ball to the gaps. At times Perez gets into a pull mode and fails to use the whole field. As with many young players, it's a matter of not concentrating consistently. He still hasn't figured out basestealing, as he was caught on 16 of his 44 attempts in 2000. Perez is still at least a year away from Seattle, but at his age there is no reason to rush him. He won't be another Alex Rodriguez, but he can be an all-star.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked California League #1 prospect in 2000
  As he watched the season-long brilliance of Perez, JetHawks manager Mark Parent was reminded of when he played with a young middle infielder on the Padres. "He has the most potential of anyone in this league, no question," Parent said. "When I look at Tony, I have to look back at Robby Alomar. The only difference is that Tony didn't grow up in the game like Robby. But he does show the same amazing speed, with the good hands, the strong arm and the ability he shows hitting. The ball just jumps off his bat." During a stretch of 13 plate appearances in August, Perez was 9-for-10 with six doubles, two homers and three walks. In a game just after that streak, he was forced hard to his right on a sharp grounder by Rancho Cucamonga's Jeremy Owens, the league's fastest baserunner. Perez scooped the ball, fired across the landscape and beat Owens by a full step. The lone criticism of Perez is his immaturity. He’ll sometimes mope and take an inning off following a disappointing moment at the plate or in the field.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #52 prospect in 2002
• Ranked Baseball America's #16 prospect in 2001

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  As he watched the season-long brilliance of Perez, JetHawks manager Mark Parent was reminded of when he played with a young middle infielder on the Padres. "He has the most potential of anyone in this league, no question," Parent said. "When I look at Tony, I have to look back at Robby Alomar. The only difference is that Tony didn't grow up in the game like Robby. But he does show the same amazing speed, with the good hands, the strong arm and the ability he shows hitting. The ball just jumps off his bat." During a stretch of 13 plate appearances in August, Perez was 9-for-10 with six doubles, two homers and three walks. In a game just after that streak, he was forced hard to his right on a sharp grounder by Rancho Cucamonga's Jeremy Owens, the league's fastest baserunner. Perez scooped the ball, fired across the landscape and beat Owens by a full step. The lone criticism of Perez is his immaturity. He’ll sometimes mope and take an inning off following a disappointing moment at the plate or in the field.