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Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez is proving it's possible for rookies to hit in big leagues
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- Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez is proving it's possible for rookies to hit in big leagues
PHOENIX — Detroit Tigers rookie Wenceel Pérez watched the highlights of Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes , last year's No. 1 overall draft pick, throwing six no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts in the second start of his MLB career.
Pérez, whose steady success gives him more credibility than most rookie position players this season, marveled at what Skenes accomplished Friday afternoon — especially the fact that his 100th and final pitch registered 100 mph.
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"That's unbelievable," Pérez said.
Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez singles during the sixth inning of the Tigers' 1-0 loss in 10 innings on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at Comerica Park.
In mid-April, Skenes faced Toledo — the Triple-A affiliate of the Tigers — while pitching for Indianapolis. He delivered 3⅓ scoreless innings against the Mud Hens with eight strikeouts, but he didn't clash with Pérez.
Four days earlier, Pérez had been promoted from the Mud Hens to the Tigers for his MLB debut .
"I was here," Pérez said. "Thank God, I was here."
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Maybe Skenes was the lucky one, because Pérez looks like he's here to stay — possibly for a long time — following 102 plate appearances in the big leagues. The 24-year-old, a switch-hitting international signee out of the Dominican Republic in July 2016, has become a regular in the middle of the Tigers' batting order.
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He isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
Pérez is hitting .301 with four doubles, four triples, three home runs, 12 walks and 24 strikeouts in 29 games. On top of that, the former infielder looks comfortable on defense because he makes the routine plays in center field and right field.
"Awesome kid to have on a team," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's going to get better and better. He's just scratching the surface of his impact. It's an organizational win, watching him grow from a young, young teenager to a big leaguer, and he's rewarding all that work with a great performance."
Tigers center fielder Wenceel Pérez celebrates a three-run triple alongside third base coach Joey Cora during the seventh inning on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Phoenix.
Pérez led the Tigers in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
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In the seventh ining, he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, facing former All-Star left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply . The game was tied until Pérez smoked a down-and-away changeup to the gap in left-center field, clearing the bases for a 5-2 lead.
It was his second triple of the game.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play," Pérez said. "I knew he was going to attack me because he had the bases loaded, so he wasn't going to walk me. He was trying to be aggressive in the zone, so I was trying to put the ball in play."
Pérez has a mature approach at the plate.
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"I'm trying to get pitches in the zone because pitchers can make you chase a lot," said Pérez, whose 19.1% whiff rate ranks in MLB's 79th percentile. "I'm just trying to get pitches in the zone, battle every pitch and focus pitch by pitch, and then try to hit the ball."
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He has learned a lot since his April 8 arrival.
Pérez has always been able to hit — he posted a .295 batting average in 2022 and followed by hitting .274 in 2023 at the upper levels of the minor leagues — but the gap in the pitching talent between the Triple-A level and the MLB level is wider than ever before, primarily because pitching is controllable and hitting is reactionary.
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"Pitchers here execute more of their pitches," Pérez said. "They execute the pitch that they want in the location that they want. They don't miss a ton in the zone. It's more competitive. You have to battle every pitch."
It's why Skenes isn't in Triple-A Indianapolis anymore, and it's also why there are so many top hitting prospects — such as fellow rookies Jackson Holliday , Evan Carter , Wyatt Langford , Jackson Chourio and Colt Keith — struggling to adjust to the established pitchers in the big leagues.
But Pérez is thriving.
"Probably they're trying to do too much," Pérez said, when asked why some rookies struggle. "People are waiting on things that are going to happen with them, and they just overthink too much. It's a game. Sometimes, you're going to fail, but you're going to have another at-bat to try again. It's a game. Try to have fun as much as you can, and then the numbers are going to come."
Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez, right, celebrates with designated hitter Spencer Torkelson after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of Game 2 of the doubleheader vs. the Cardinals on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Comerica Park.
Pérez — never labeled as a top prospect — has a .904 OPS in his 29-game MLB career, ranking second among 21 rookies with at least 100 plate appearances (behind only Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz ). His .301 batting average ranks first, while both his .377 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage rank second.
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Keith's .478 OPS in 39 games ranks last on the 21-player leaderboard.
JUST KEEP HITTING: Tigers' Wenceel Pérez shares why he keeps hitting despite rookie status
"I've seen really high quality at-bats," Hinch said of Pérez. "He's been a very dangerous hitter, and he's worked his way into the middle of our order, for two reasons. One, he's very consistent with his at-bats. Two, the placement of a switch-hitter in a lineup offers so many challenges for what the other side is going to do as they go to their bullpen."
There's a specific reason why Hinch keeps batting Pérez in the No. 3 spot in the lineup against right-handed starters.
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If opposing teams target Riley Greene , a left-handed hitter, in the leadoff spot with a left-handed reliever, then Pérez can swing from the ride side of the plate. If opposing teams wait to target Kerry Carpenter , another left-handed hitter, in the cleanup spot with a lefty reliever, then Pérez can swing from the left side.
"Strategically, he offers so much for us when constructing the lineup," Hinch said.
Paul Skenes pitches in the first inning against the Cubs.
Pérez isn't going anywhere, which means the Skenes-Pérez matchup that didn't happen in Triple-A is a possibility in the big leagues within the next two weeks. The matchup would pit arguably the best rookie pitcher against arguably the best rookie hitter, and the matchup looks like it's going to happen May 29.
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Skenes is lined up to pitch against the Tigers as part of a two-game series at Comerica Park.
"He was doing an unbelievable job," Hinch said of Skenes' performance Friday against the Chicago Cubs . "I was trying to do the math and see if we're going to face him or not. I don't know yet. Electrifying arm, to say the least."
Surely, Pérez will be ready for Skenes.
He will be show up to Comerica Park that day with an approach to the game that's been working since his MLB debut.
"I just try to battle every pitch and try to have fun as much as I can," Pérez said. "I worked so hard to be here, so I'm just trying to be here and have fun. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez shows rookies can hit in MLB
