TAMPA — Hardly anyone blinked when the Yankees added several prospects to their 40-man roster this offseason.
Yankees’ Gary Sanchez works on hitting, catching
Shortstop Jorge Mateo, third baseman Miguel Andujar and others have an obvious chance at reaching the Bronx in the next year are two. They’re talented. They’re advancing through the organization’s stacked minor league system. it made sense that the team would protect itself from losing them in the Rule 5 Draft.
But 20-year-old righty Freicer Perez was a bit of a surprise. Why him? He’s never pitched above short-season Staten Island. Would a team really snatch Perez and expect him to stick on a major-league roster for a full season?
Apparently.
“He’s another credit to our scouting department,” Pat McMahon said Tuesday. “He’s a young man that has really, really worked so hard on his delivery and his ability to control the fastball.”
Swisher’s back, bro!
McMahon knows Perez well. The 63-year-old spent the last several years as the club’s international player development coordinator.
Perez, who’s hit at least 99 mph, has an interesting tool set. The Dominican Republic native, who signed for $100,000 at age 18, is 6-foot-8. At 190 pounds, he still has muscle to add. He seems to have the building blocks of a young Dellin Betances.
Perez is expected to start the season at Low-A Charleston.
“He’s got ability. His secondary pitches are making great progress. He’s a guy that’s on our radar very strongly. We feel very good about him,” McMahon said.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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