October 14, 2008 Fernando Perez will start in Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday night in Fenway in place of Rocco Baldelli, according to the AP.
Our View:Perez was 15-for-60 (.250) in the regular season with three home runs. He was 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. This is his first start in the series.
September 14, 2008 Picking up a start in center field, Perez went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer off of Carl Pavano on Sunday. The home run was the first of his young career.
Our View:Perez is a fine prospect, but he is more of a speedster than a power hitter, swiping 43 bases and hitting only five homers for Triple-A Durham this season. Perez has been receiving enough at-bats recently to help in AL-only leagues.
August 31, 2008 The Rays have recalled outfielder Fernando Perez, the Tampa Tribune reports. Perez, 25, was hitting .285 with 86 runs and 43 steals for Triple-A Durham.
Our View:We're assuming this move will actually come on Monday, but that's beside the point. Perez brings speed to the Rays bench. We don't expect much else. He strikes out waaaaay too much (156 whiffs in 129 games) to gain a larger role.
April 18, 2008 Fernando Perez went 3-for-5 and was just a home run away from hitting for the cycle on Friday for Triple-A Durham. He also added his fifth steal of the season.
Our View:Perez has plenty of major league potential, but he is raw in several areas offensively. He struck out 104 times in 393 at-bats last season and had a poor 64 percent stolen base success rate at Double-A (32-for-50). Still, the Columbia University alum has shown the on-base skills and athleticism to be an interesting player at the highest level.
