Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
On Jun. 2, the Detroit Tigers lost infielder Hernan Perez when he was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers.
At the time, Perez was a lifetime .160/.189/.179 hitter across 66 MLB games, and he had been a source of frustration for many Tigers fans over the early part of the 2015 campaign. For as much as Perez underwhelmed at the big league level, however, his minor league track record suggested that he had the potential to develop into a solid player some day. Last year, he slashed a rather impressive .287/.331/.404 with 32 doubles, seven triples, six homers and 53 RBIs over 133 games in Triple-A Toledo. He also swiped 21 bases.
Over his first 19 games as a member of the Brewers, Perez has begun to display the same type of promise that he did during his time in the Tigers’ farm system. Since Jun. 15, he has slashed a robust .458/.480/.667 with five doubles across 25 plate appearances. Overall, he is hitting .308/.341/.436 since the move to Milwaukee.
Perez’s newfound success also coincides with the fact that Ian Kinsler, the Tigers’ current second baseman, is in the midst of a rather disappointing offensive season. Yes, he is still terrific on defense, but he is only hitting .257/.330/.345 with two home runs and 29 RBIs on the year. Kinsler is signed through 2017 with a team option for 2018, and considering the fact that he is already 33 years old, it is reasonable to wonder how much more his offensive game will decline over the next couple of years.
Eventually, Detroit may need a replacement for Kinsler, and perhaps Perez could have been that guy. It should also be noted that the Tigers once had another talented second baseman in their minor league program in Devon Travis, who was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Anthony Gose deal over the offseason.
Of course, the Tigers still have another pretty good infielder in their system in Dixon Machado, and it remains possible that Kinsler could start hitting again. Plus, considering the fact that Perez was out of minor league options, the Tigers were stuck in a quandary and there wasn’t a whole lot they could do.
Nevertheless, Perez is still only 24 years old and has plenty of time to establish himself at the big league level. The Tigers may eventually look back upon losing him with regret.
Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
