Behind Joe Perez’s Seven RBIs, McCarthy Routs Canterbury

CARY, N.C.—Until Friday, the National High School Invitational hadn’t been the best showcase of Joe Perez’s talents.

Sure, his fastball touched 95 mph in his start in the NHSI opener for Archbishop McCarthy High, in Southwest Ranches, Fla. But he struggled with command, walking three in three innings, and coach Rich Bielski acknowledged Perez—the No. 42 prospect on the Top 100 Draft Prospects list—was a “little off.”

At bat, Perez hadn’t done much either while McCarthy split its first two games. That all changed Friday against The Canterbury School (Fort Myers, Fla.) in a 12-5 rout.

Perez’s outburst began with a first-inning grand slam, albeit one the wind helped greatly.

“It kept carrying and carrying so . . . it was crazy,” Perez said of his home run to right field, which just eluded the right fielder’s glove.

Perez singled home a run in the second and doubled home two more in the third as McCarthy amassed a large lead.

“Joe has that perfect combination of controlled aggression,” Bielski said. “He’s aggressive in the zone, which is great and it really leads to some great games, like he had today. I’m very proud of Joe. He’s been our cleanup-hole hitter all year long and he really has a nose for RBIs.”

McCarthy, which scored just four runs combined in its first two games, erupted for 15 hits, including three from Perez and four from Luis Tuero, a junior committed to Miami. Alex Toral, the No. 55 prospect on the Top 100 Draft Prospects, added a booming double and scored two runs.

“When you have another guy who can protect him, it can really take a team to another level,” Bielski said of Perez and Toral. “The combination of Toral and Perez is definitely a threat every time they come through the order.

“(Toral)’s really starting to swing the bat . . . he hit a ball off the top of the fence as you saw, and he’s really going to get some better pitching with Joe on deck waiting to get his turn.”

When asked whether prefers pitching or hitting, two-way star Perez said, “I’ve been asked that same question a number of times, and I really have no preference. I enjoy going out there and having the ball in my hand and I enjoy going out there and possibly getting the winning RBI. They’re both great.”