Eddie Pérez (baseball)

Infobox MLB retired
name=Eddie Pérez


caption=Perez, as bullpen coach for the Braves in 2007
width=174
position=Catcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|5|4
Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia State, Venezuela
debutdate=September 10
debutyear=by|1995
debutteam=Atlanta Braves
finaldate=September 27
finalyear=by|2005
finalteam=Atlanta Braves
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.253
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=40
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=172
teams=
* Atlanta Braves (by|1995-by|2001
* Cleveland Indians (by|2002)
* Milwaukee Brewers (by|2003)
* Atlanta Braves (by|2004-by|2005)
highlights=
* World Series champion (1995)
* 1999 NLCS MVP

Eduardo Rafael "Eddie" Pérez (born May 4, 1968 in Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia State, Venezuela) is the current bullpen coach for the Atlanta Braves. Previously, Pérez was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Atlanta Braves (by|1995-by|2001 and by|2004-by|2005), Cleveland Indians (by|2002), and Milwaukee Brewers (by|2003). He batted and threw right-handed.

The long-time personal catcher for Greg Maddux in Atlanta, Pérez was a veteran defensive-oriented catcher with a strong throwing arm. He was known for calling games well and doing a good job of blocking balls thrown in the dirt.

An aggressive hitter who hit the ball where it was pitched, Pérez was able to make decent contact and was hard to strike out. He was not much of a power hitter, and he was very tough against left-handers in his career. Versus righties, he was a little more prone to strikeouts, but still hit the ball with consistency. On the bases, he was a typical catcher: a runner who needs a hit and run or a bunt to get a jump on the next base.

In a ten-year career, Pérez was a .253 hitter with 40 home runs and 172 RBI in 564 games.

On May 18, 2004, Perez made the last out of Randy Johnson's perfect game when he struck out.

In 2005, Pérez appeared in Miller Park's sausage race as the bratwurst, but did not win (the winner was pre-determined).

In by|2006, Pérez coached for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. Pérez was promoted to join the major league team, the Atlanta Braves, as bullpen coach for the by|2007 season.

Awards

* National League Championship Series MVP (1999)

External links

*Eddie Pérez at:
**ESPN (profile and daily update) [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5496] - (article) [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/99play/wsfs02.htm]
**Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers (entry) [http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/list.htm]
**Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis) [http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/perezed02.shtml]