Rafael Pérez (baseball)

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name = Rafael Pérez
team = Cleveland Indians
number = 53
position = Setup pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|5|15
birthplace = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
bats = Left
throws = Left
debutdate = April 20
debutyear = 2006
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
statyear = September 26, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 5-6
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 2.83
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 163
teams =
*Cleveland Indians (by|2006-present)

Rafael Jerome Pérez (born March 15, 1982 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a left-handed relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball. He was signed by the Indians as an undrafted free agent in January by|2002.

Minor league career

In 2002, Pérez finished second in the Dominican Summer League with a 0.96 ERA. In by|2003, he was named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year playing for the Single-A Burlington Indians and led the Appalachian League in wins (9-3) and ERA (1.70).In by|2005, his 12 wins tied for 3rd in Indians organization and he had a 2.62 ERA in 29 combined appearances (22 starts) for Kinston and Akron. He was added to the Indians 40-man roster in November. In by|2006, Pérez had a 2.81 ERA in 12 starts with Akron and a 2.63 ERA in 13 relief appearances with Triple-A Buffalo.

Major league career

He made his major League debut on April 20, mlby|2006, against Baltimore, pitching one inning and striking out two.

Pérez was not expected to be a major part of the Indians' major league club in mlby|2007, but he surprised the Indians organization after he was called up from the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, on May 28. Pérez was initially slated for long relief, but after he demonstrated his ability to pitch in tight situations, he was inserted into a setup role alongside right-handed reliever Rafael Betancourt. The two setup men have been nicknamed Rafey Left and Rafey Right by local Indians fans. Pérez, with his hard fastball and tight slider, quickly became one of the most dominant relievers in the league. In 2007, Pérez posted a sparkling 1.78 ERA, over 60 2/3 innings pitched in 44 appearances. He had a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of only .923, and has held left-handed batters to just a .145 batting average. ESPN analyst Peter Gammons called him "arguably the best left-handed reliever on the planet." His most dazzling statistic, however, may be the fact that in his slightly less than three years in the big leagues, he has allowed just four extra base hits to left-handed batters and has held those batters to a .241 slugging percentage.

External links

*
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460370 MLB.com player info page]
* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/P/rafael-perez.shtml The Baseball Cube player page]