Before a game at Sutter Health Park a few weeks ago, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay opened some eyes by offering quite a lofty comparison while discussing the recent success of Minor League outfielder Junior Perez.
“There’s one that’s pretty dynamic,” Kotsay said. “He’s accomplished and more polished [than Perez], but Julio Rodríguez is a guy.”
After a brief pause, Kotsay expanded.
“It’s a really high comp,” Kotsay said. “But he runs, plays good defense and he’s got pop. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss. Hopefully, we can clean that up. But there are some similarities.”
Perez is tooled up, which is what led to the comparison to a three-time All-Star. For the A’s, their excitement over him has existed since the day they acquired him as the player to be named later from the Padres for Jorge Mateo in 2020.
It has always been about putting all of those tools together. Perez, who signed with San Diego out of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2017, has toiled in the lower levels of the Minors for most of his career with high strikeout rates that have impeded his progress. This year, however, something appears to be clicking.
Since his promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 1, Perez is looking every bit like a five-tool star. The 24-year-old outfielder entered Tuesday batting .306 with a 1.172 OPS, 10 home runs, 22 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 24 games for the Aviators, while also providing stellar defense in center field. Perez has also kept his strikeout rate somewhat manageable with 28 punchouts in 106 plate appearances.
“I like what Junior’s doing,” Kotsay said. “I think this kid has a tremendous amount of talent. We’ve had the conversation of how long it takes for Latin players, especially those who come here at 16 or 17 years old without the ability to speak the language, to get themselves comfortable and, at the same point, go out and perform and play.”
COMPLETE ATHLETICS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Kotsay was not alone in his praise of Perez. Spotting A’s general manager David Forst as he walked by the A’s dugout, the skipper shouted in the direction of Forst and asked for his opinion on the talented outfielder.
“We’re really high on Junior Perez right now,” Forst said with a grin.
Perez has taken advantage of a promotion that was mostly the result of good fortune. With Colby Thomas and JJ Bleday rejoining the A’s at the start of August, Las Vegas was in need of outfield depth. Perez, who was having an up and down year at Double-A Midland, was moved up a level to Triple-A on Aug. 1 despite only hitting .147 in his previous 28 games before the promotion. But overall, Perez has 50 extra-base hits, including 24 homers and 24 stolen bases in 119 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.
Perez’s late-blooming career is creating a situation where they are going to have to make a decision on him soon. Because Perez is in his sixth year with the A’s, he would become free to sign with another club this offseason or become exposed to the Rule 5 Draft if the A’s do not add him to their 40-man roster before this winter.
There is no shortage of outfield talent in the A’s organization, from Thomas, Lawrence Butler and Denzel Clarke at the Major League level, to top prospects such as Henry Bolte and Devin Taylor. Perez has forced himself onto that radar alongside those players with his impressive play.
“We have to make a decision organizationally on a guy who is [24] years old, first time in Triple-A, but has an electric ability about him, both offensively and defensively,” Kotsay said. “So, that’s a tough decision when a guy doesn’t have a ton of high-level success and you’re having to add him to a roster that is probably going to be pretty full with some difficult decisions to be made. But he’s putting himself in that mix, for sure.”
