Astros’ Franklin Perez Adds A New Wrinkle

BUIES CREEK, N.C.—Franklin Perez was very efficient on Friday night; the Astros righthander needed just 63 pitches to throw five scoreless innings for high Class A Buies Creek.

He faced only one batter over the minimum thanks to a double play and a caught stealing that erased his lone walk and one of the two singles he allowed.

The fastball was there, like usual. Perez touched 95 a couple of times in the first inning and generally settled in at 92 mph for the majority of his five innings. He was able to locate his changeup, and after struggling with the feel of his curveball early, he landed it consistently in the later innings of his outing.

But Perez, 19, had also added a new little wrinkle.

After working on a new grip for his slider in a side session with Buies Creek pitching coach Chris Holt, Perez unveiled it Friday. It’s hard at 88-89 mph, trading some depth of its break for velocity, but it’s still a bigger breaker than a traditional cutter.

“Chris Holt (and Perez) changed the grip for this outing. It was harder and tight,” Buies Creek manager Omar Lopez said. “It worked out pretty well. Holt is going to look at Trackman to see the shape and spin rate. I think it’s another plus pitch he’s going to have.”

And it seemed effective in Perez’s first trial run, despite a lack of separation in velocity from his fastball. Relying mainly on his fastball the first time through the lineup, Perez was not giving up hard contact, but he also wasn’t getting swings and misses. After he started pairing the new slider with his curveball, he struck out two of the final six batters he faced.

Perez has held opposing hitters to a .143 average and has a 0.76 WHIP to go with his 4-1, 2.54 record. He dominated in his first three starts of the season before missing more than a month with a minor knee injury. He struggled in his first three outings upon returning from the disabled list, as he seemed to need time to trust that he could finish into his left knee again, but since June began, he has returned to form, with 21 strikeouts in 22 innings and just five earned runs allowed (2.05 ERA).

“He’s efficient,” Lopez said. “The way he goes about his business and the way he looks for weaknesses of hitters. He’s in a good place. He’s on a good track. He looks like he’s 26 and has been in the game six or seven years. This kid is in control. He knows what he’s doing.”

Perez also may be in demand. As one of the better pitching prospects in the game, on a team that is almost assured a playoff spot, Perez either could be a key part of the Astros’ future, or he could end up as a valuable trade chip for a team looking to gear up for the playoffs.