Martin Perez

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:50 pm

Pretty remarkable start for the Rangers prospect who just turned 17 two months ago...

Perez made his professional debut pitching for advanced short season Spokane in the Northwest League against a lineup averaging 22 years old and the lefty had the following line: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Perez was the most highly regarded (and bonused) LHP in the latin market last summer and was the Rangers' top signee. His FB sits in the low 90's, and he throws a curve and a change.

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:23 pm

Wow, this guy is pretty talented. Lots of 92s on the gun tonight.

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:24 pm

Greg, TX: Who is the best left handed pitcher on the Rangers farm not named Derek Holland?

John Manuel: It might be Martin Perez even INCLUDING Derek Holland. I got a Johan Santana comp on Perez from a scout in the Northwest the other day, he sounds extremely exciting.

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:26 pm

Small and wiry at 6 feet and 165 pounds, Perez nevertheless has two plus pitches. He consistently works from 89-92 and touches 94 mph with his fastball, and his power breaking ball may be the best curve in a Rangers system loaded with arms. Perez shows some feel for a changeup, a third potential plus pitch, but it's still a work in progress. He maintains good arm speed and gets good action on it, though it can be too firm.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/p ... 66886.html

Q: Josh from Central Coast asks:
I have heard Martin Perez compared to Johan Santana. That is a ridiculous comparisonÃ–right?

A: Nathan Rode: Good question Josh. HereÃs how I feel about this. Comps run a very fine line. ItÃs good to be able to relate an example to a guy, but you donÃt want to put any unnecessary pressure on a player. I heard the Santana comparisons too. But I also heard it as a physical and visual comp. When you simply look at Perez, you think Santana. Not necessarily that kind of dominance. Is that ruling out that he could be that good? No. But it doesnÃt mean he doesnÃt have a chance to be like that either. The stuff is electric and he was only 17. Anywhere from 3-5 years younger than a lot of the players he faced. I donÃt think its fair to say heÃs going to be Santana. ThatÃs a very high expecataion, but I also think you have to credit where itÃs due.

Q: Josh from Ft Worth asks:
What are the ceilings of those 4 Rangers pitchers in the top 10? Where do they fit in the hierarchy of Rangers pitching prospects from Feliz/Holland down to the lower minors?

A: Nathan Rode: Very good question. IÃll touch on this a little bit, but leave it up for more debate when Aaron does his Rangers list. We had a short discussion today at lunch about Perez vs. Feliz. IÃll just say that we did not come to a final answer. It was very interesting. But Perez, Ramirez, Boscan and Murphy all belong in the discussion of top arms in that system with guys like Holland and Feliz. IÃm still trying to wrap my head around how deep the Rangers pitching is. ItÃs incredible.

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:41 pm

Mike Hindman interviewed the Rangers roving pitching instructor Rick Adair and asked him about Perez:

MJH: Martin Perez: What made you decide that he was ready for the NWL at age 17? And just tell me about him as a pitcher generally. What are his strengths? What makes him special?

Adair: Martin just loves being a pitcher. He has three plus pitches. When he first signed, it was kind of a tough read. He was a little cocky. Probably didn't really get what being a professional was all about. He's grown up so much this year in every way. When you talk to Martin about pitching, his eyes just light up. Get big. He's passionate about it. He's very animated in talking about pitching. He's a sharp kid. He's got a fast arm and a body that isn't very big yet. We've just got to be careful in handling his work load. But between his stuff and his intensity about pitching, he's got a chance to be very special.

Mike also comments: What won't come across in print is Adair's excitement at the mere mention of Michael Main or Martin Perez

Rangers · Post by **Rangers** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:17 pm

Man, John Manuel loves Martin Perez:

texasrangers.com: Do you have a player in the Texas system you might cite as a sleeper, someone fans haven't heard of now, but who could develop into a familiar name in the future?

Manuel: I'll mention a couple of young pitchers. I don't know if they're sleepers necessarily...Martin Perez is a seventeen year old lefty from Venezuela with much less hype, much less signing bonus, and yet I think Martin Perez might end up being better than Josh Vitters long term. At that level, we're going usually to hedge our bets with the hitter rather than the pitcher, because so much can go wrong injury-wise with the pitcher, but we've gotten some Johan Santana comparisons on Martin Perez as a lefthander from Venezuela with a similar delivery, arm strength. He's shown flashes of a plus changeup, hammer breaking ball, velocity up to 94 miles an hour. He's far away. It's going to take him a couple years. He's not a guy that's going to help in this decade. It'll be 2011 before Martin Perez is really close, I think, to helping the big league club. But this is a lefthander with huge upside. If I could do my Hubie Brown impersonation, "He's not long, he doesn't have length, but he has significant upside potential."

...But Perez, this is a guy who's got top of the rotation stuff and potential. He could be a guy who in future years is a guy you're looking to as maybe a future Jon Lester, your homegrown, lefthanded, front of the rotation starter. He might even have a higher upside, I think he does have higher upside, than a Derek Holland. He's (Holland) at Double-A, closer to helping at the big league level, but future upside, I think Perez is ahead of Holland just for his variety of stuff, clean mechanics, and ability to be a front of the rotation starter.