Prospect #1: SS, Delvin Perez
Previously Ranked 14th in preseason and stays at 17 following July reranking
State College Spikes
Drafted in the 1st round of the 2016 draft
20-years-old
The Stats
THE QUICK WRITE UP
I am going to continue to handle Delvin's hype train just as I would if we he was a girl that was fortunate enough to be talking too even though she's way out of my league; play it cool until you can't play it cool anymore. Delvin has gotten off to a very solid start to his State College Spikes season. He isn't hitting for much slug, but he has put together a few multi-hit games. He isn't hitting the ball with maximum authority, but he is hitting the ball strong and in holes. Yes, he still weighs roughly 45 pounds and there's no way he'll be able to hit for real slug until he adds weight, but these are all good signs for a player that was on a fan-inspired respirator entering the season. Speaking of respirator, Delvin is in great shape aside from weighing as much as my jeans. He looks quick and he's hustling all over the diamond. HIS HUSTLE HAS REALLY STUCK OUT AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST TAKE AWAY. The other thing that has really struck out is his arm which looks like a 60-65 grade arm on the 80 scale.
Delvin is off to a great start. Now, we wait and see if he is capable of keeping it up. We'll keep our excitement under control, but I can feel my loins ablaze. Everything really seems to be coming together for Mr. Perez.
*UPDATED ON 8/2/2018*
There was a period of about three weeks where Mr. Perez was starting to look like the player that we all hoped that he'd be. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Delvin has really struggled since the mid-part of July and it's a bummer. As always, there's still plenty of time for him but it's been a bummer to watch his bat go completely silent. Good news is, his defense has maintained. SO, there's that.
WHY TO GET EXCITED
It's taken a couple of years, but Delvin Perez is starting to show why many evaluators viewed him as worthy of a first round selection.
Somewhere along the lines (more than likely through learning from past mistakes) Delvin has become an all out hustling type player this year. The season is young, but this is what we needed to see out of him more than anything else this season.
THAT ARM. I have to tell you, if we are playing the 80-scale-game, Delvin's arm is probably a 65-70. In my quick write up I called it a 60-65, but the more I watch it the stronger it seems.
It can get a little weird at short stop sometimes, but he has the necessary quickness and his footwork is good enough to project him as an above average short stop if he stays on this current path.
His bat is starting to show signs of life. There isn't much slug, but the on base percentage of right around .360 will push him through if his defense progresses on the track that it currently is on.
Delvin is exciting. Plain and simple. I wanna leave it here because the rest can serve to complicate the simple fact that Delvin Perez is exciting when he is showing the mature side of himself and his game.
WHY TO BE CAUTIOUS
He weighs as much as a 5 gallon bucket full of water.
Because of his svelte size, he doesn't hit with much authority. Think of his power as right along the lines of Magneuris Sierra, currently. There is power to be had if he adds a little girth on to that frame.
While all indications are that he's worked through it, Delvin has some maturity issues during the 2018 season. Again, these seem to be a thing of the past, but I just wanted to throw it out there because it needs to be addressed.
He's damn quick, but he doesn't have a viable base stealing ability. This means absolutely nothing to me, but I've been told that it matters to some.
He's young and aggressive and is still prone to a few mental mistakes here and there. The good news is, they aren't as many as there used to be and there aren't as many as some of the other high-flying short stops that are his age.
There is still a long way for him to go to reach a plausable major league level. His game is becoming more defined and he's starting to figure it all out bit by bit, but this word of warning to the fans is just to remind you that there is a lot that can change with any player this age.
COMPARISON
NOPE NO NOT GONNA DO IT. Perez enter the Cardinals organization with comparisons to Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor and, man, how irresponsible was that? Let's stop levying unfair expectation on teenagers that aren't even playing at a full season affiliate. Delvin has the tools. He has the skills and athleticism. If he puts everything together, he's going to be very good. Let's leave it at that and wait a year, shall we?!
Thank you to Fangraphs for existing so that I can put their stats into my articles.
Thanks For Reading!!
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