Yanio Perez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Texas Rangers #23 prospect in 2018
  Perez hit well in Cuba's junior national leagues, earning a spot on the country's 18U World Cup team that played in Taiwan in 2013. Perez played briefly in Cuba's top league, Serie Nacional, before leaving the country and signing with the Rangers for $1.14 million in September 2016. He hit well in his pro debut in the low Class A South Atlantic League, but he scuffled upon a promotion to high Class A Down East. Perez is a strong, physical player with plus raw power, and he uses the whole field and is adept at working the ball toward right-center. His strikeouts were manageable, but he has a power-over-hit profile and got into bad habits with his swing in the second half, possibly due to fatigue as he played more games in a season than he ever did in Cuba. A below-average runner, Perez split time between third base, first base and the outfield corners in 2017. The Rangers are optimistic he can handle third base, but he's not a natural defender at the position. Perez moves well enough to play in the outfield with a solid-average arm that works in right field. He likely returns to Down East to start 2018.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #27 prospect in 2017
  Perez hit well in Cuba's junior national leagues, batting .351/.448/.523 in 135 plate appearances in the country's 18U national league and earning a spot on the Cuban team that went to the 18U World Cup in Taiwan. Perez batted .265/.333/.347 in 514 plate appearances over two seasons with Artemisa in Cuba's top league, Serie Nacional, then left the country and signed with the Rangers in September 2016 for $1.1 million. He didn't stand out much when he was in Cuba, but his tools jumped after he left. During workouts in Mexico before he signed, he showed above-average raw power, and while he was a fringe-average runner in Cuba, he showed plus speed in the 60-yard dash. Those tools are intriguing, though his pure hitting ability remains a question mark. In Cuba, Perez mostly played third base but also got time at second base, right field and first base. He's expected to get most of his playing time rotating between all three outfield spots with the Rangers. His first action should come with low Class A Hickory in 2017 as he makes his U.S. professional debut.