Perez has emerged as one of the Yankees top pitching prospects heading into 2018. The Bombers might have a mid-rotation starter in the 6’8” flamethrower, a player they signed for just $10,000 out of a tryout camp at the age of 18. He has added strength, and now looks to be around 210 pounds, which should only help his durability. The fastball sat 93-to-95 mph in my backfields looks, touching as high as 96 mph. Scouts in the South Atlantic League saw him reach as high as 98 mph early in starts with Charleston in 2017. His command has taken a step forward, and it’s been a pleasant surprise to see a player of his height be able to pitch to spots in the zone. His slurvy breaking ball was inconsistent, sitting 81-to-82 mph and generally lacking sharpness. He snapped off some better ones that featured more two-plane depth throughout the outing, and he looked like a pitcher that was still finding his feel for the pitch. Perez mixed in a changeup at 87-to-88 mph sparsely, though it showed promising arm-side action at times. How well he throws strikes and continues to develop his secondary pitches will determine his ability to reach his ceiling of middle-of-the-rotation contributor.
