Luis Perez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #15 prospect in 2010
  Perez hasn't made the quickest climb through the system since signing in 2003, but he has come on strong in the last few years and claimed a spot on the 40-man roster after the 2008 season. It took him three years to get out of the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League before he finally made his U.S. debut in 2007. He made a successful jump to Double-A and made an appearance in the Futures Game last year. Perez's 89-91 mph fastball is his out pitch, a heavy sinker that touches 93. Hitters drive the pitch into the ground, as evidenced by his 2.15 groundout/airout ratio at New Hampshire. His secondary offerings are inconsistent but are quality pitches when they're on. His slider can be slurvy at times, and he's still learning to use his changeup more often. Perez could be a back-of-the-rotation starter, but it may be more realistic to project him as a reliever at this point. He'll add some final polish in Triple-A before pitching in Toronto at some point in 2010.
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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #17 prospect in 2009
  Already 23, Perez has followed a glacially slow developmental path. He completed his first taste of full-season ball with Lansing in 2008--in his fifth professional season. He spent his first three years in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and another in the New York-Penn League as he worked to streamline his funky delivery. At his best, Perez flashes three quality pitches. Like fellow lefty Marc Rzepczynski, he racks up high totals of strikeouts and grounders, posting a 3.08 groundout/airout ratio last year. A sturdy 6 feet and 205 pounds, Perez has a unique delivery featuring a long arm action on the back side. His arm is so quick that his timing appears to be off, and as a result, batters struggle to pick the ball up out of his hand. Perez's two-seam fastball sits at 90-91 mph with good downward plane. His curveball and changeup have plus potential, but he often loses his three-quarters arm slot and gets underneath both pitches, flattening them out. For Perez, who was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, it's all about maintaining his balance over the rubber and staying downhill in his delivery, two keys he'll work to address as he moves to high Class A in 2009. He could surface in the big leagues as a back-end starter or as a left-on-left reliever.
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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #32 prospect in 2008
  Perez was the Blue Jays' Dominican Summer League player of the year in 2006, when he struck out 107 in 85 innings. After it took him three years to graduate from the DSL, Perez performed well in the short-season New York-Penn League last year, going 3-3, 3.70 with 71 strikeouts in 75 innings. With a chance for three above-average pitches, Perez has legitimate potential to be a starter. He pitches at 90-93 mph with outstanding late sink and tail, shows a good feel for a changeup and can spin a plus curveball at times. He goes right after batters from a low three-quarters arm slot, which suggests the potential for a slider as well. Perez struggles to repeat his delivery, which costs him command and control. He gets in trouble when he gets offline to the plate and when he tries to overpower batters instead of letting his natural movement work for him. Perez has made progress, but he'll be 23 when he reaches full-season ball for the first time in 2008.