Yankees: Profiling The Bottom Tier Of Their Top 30 Prospects

#29  Freicer Perez  RHP

In a profile story on Freicer Perez that appeared on Yanks Go Yard, Evan Halpine-Berger summarized Perez this way:

"“With his lanky 6’8 190 lb frame and upper-90’s fastball that has been clocked at 99, Perez bears a striking resemblance to one of the Yankees top pitching prospects, Domingo Acevedo. Like Acevedo, Perez also throws a slider and a change, although Perez has a lot more work to do to make his secondary offerings credible.”"

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Dominican-born, Perez was signed by the Yankees during their period of lavish spending in the international draft in December 2014. Perez only received $10,000, however, to sign.

“Intriguing” is the word MLB.com chooses to describe Perez, and it appears most appropriate. His lanky frame and smooth delivery surprises hitters when his pitches reach the plate in the middle 90’s, and sometimes even higher.

25 walks in 51 innings last year with Class A Staten Island did not impress, and Perez needs to work on his command if he is to advance. MLB’s profile of Perez puts it this way:

"“Perez has more feel for his changeup than his curveball, with his long arm action sometimes preventing him from staying on top of his breaking ball. Considering his size and youth, he does a decent job of repeating his delivery and throwing strikes, but he still has a long ways to go. Unless he adds considerable polish, he’ll end up in the bullpen with late-inning upside”"

Perez was used exclusively as a starter in the New York-Penn League last season. In 13 starts for the Staten Island Yankees, he managed only 51 innings, an average of four innings per start. He figures to be stretched out more this season when he is likely to join Double-A Trenton.

Because of his size, though, he appears to hitters as all arms and legs, with a delivery and arm angles that vary from pitch to pitch. The trouble is, though, that this asset is also a liability regarding getting command of his pitches.

Next: Yankees Soar To #2 In Farm System Rankings

A work in progress, for sure.