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Perez Believes He Is Ready For Daily Grind

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

The switch-hitting Perez batted .292 in 24 at-bats against lefties but .222 in 36 at-bats against righties with the Rays.

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 1, 2009

PORT CHARLOTTE - Fernando Perez isn't completely on board with the Tampa Bay Rays' plan for him.

There's a good reason why: It involves more time in the minor leagues.

The fleet outfielder, who joined the Rays' parade of heroes in September when injuries pressed him into duty, probably can't break into a lineup that will have B.J. Upton in center, Carl Crawford in left and a platoon of Gabe Gross, Gabe Kapler and Matt Joyce in right.

Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman has said that if Upton is ready by the start of the season after offseason shoulder surgery, he'd rather have the 25-year-old Perez starting every day at Triple-A Durham than playing occasionally with the Rays.

Perez, who went 0-for-2 in the Rays' 6-3 Grapefruit League loss to Toronto on Sunday, believes he's ready to show he can play every day in the majors.

"I mean, that sounds like the opinion of a guy when he's about to cut you from the team," Perez said of Friedman's statement. "Obviously, I don't agree, because if I agreed, that would be saying I want to go to the minor leagues, and I don't."

Perez has game-altering speed, as he showed repeatedly last year after his Aug. 31 call-up while appearing in 23 of 24 games, including 15 starts.

The organization's Minor League Player of the Year might best be remembered for scoring the winning run in the Rays' marathon victory against Boston in Game 2 of the ALCS on Upton's sacrifice fly to shallow right field.

The switch-hitting Perez batted .292 in 24 at-bats against lefties but .222 in 36 at-bats against righties with the Rays. A stint with Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan League this winter got him extra left-handed at-bats, and Perez batted .328

Manager Joe Maddon is fond of the intellectual Perez, who has a degree from Columbia University and submitted an essay espousing a link between poetry and baseball to Poetry magazine this winter.

"I'm looking at a guy who, if everything goes right for him, could be an everyday major-league player," Maddon said. "If it doesn't go right, he is a fourth or fifth outfielder.

"So if we could be a little more patient and see it through - what I'm saying is that the hitting from the left side comes along and he's a legitimate switch hitter - we might get somebody really special out of this."

Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at (813) 259-7994.

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