Franklin Perez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #28 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Perez was one of three players the Tigers received from the Astros in 2017 for Justin Verlander. The others--outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers--have reached the big leagues. Perez, meanwhile, has thrown just 27 innings since the trade because of various injuries and has yet to pitch above high Class A. The Tigers brought him to the alternate training site in 2020 and continued to get him innings in instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Perez's pure stuff has never been in question, but he cannot stay healthy enough to show it to anyone. He's dealt with a lat strain and repeated shoulder injuries. At his best, Perez works with a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup and a downer curveball. He introduced a slider in 2017, as well, before being traded to Detroit. All his pitches with the exception of his slider have flashed plus, and he throws strikes with above-average control. Now he just needs to get on the mound and stay healthy.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite his injury history, Perez landed on the Tigers' 40-man roster after the 2019 season. If his health keeps him from starting, he has enough stuff to stick in a late-inning bullpen role.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #8 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Perez's arm strength helped facilitate a return to the mound after he trained temporarily as a third baseman at Carlos Guillen's academy in Venezuela as an amateur. The No. 14 international ranked prospect in 2014 inked for a $1 million bonus with the Astros before being flipped to Detroit as part of the package for righthander Justin Verlander in 2017. A cluster of injuries has slowed down Perez, who has made nine starts in his last two seasons combined. A knee injury in 2017 was followed by a lat strain and shoulder woes in 2018, and the shoulder woes returned in 2019 and derailed much of his season
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Perez's stuff offers significant upside. His fastball has a high spin rate, tops out in the mid-90s and projects as plus. He shows particularly good feel for a low-to-mid 80s changeup with excellent armside run. The pitch misses plenty of bats with hard, late sinking action. Perez's curveball flashes above-average with good depth down in the strike zone. His slider has the potential to be a plus pitch as he's become more comfortable with it.
  
  THE FUTURE: Perez needs a healthy 2020 to get back on track. His age, control and four-pitch mix point toward a future as a mid-rotation arm if he can stay healthy.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Perez was briefly developed as a third baseman at Carlos Guillen’s academy in Venezuela, but his arm strength prompted a return to the mound. He ranked as the No. 14 player in the 2014 international class and signed with the Astros for $1 million. He was dealt in 2017 as part of the package that brought ace righthander Justin Verlander to Houston. A knee injury slowed Perez in 2017, but he had more serious injury issues in 2018. He made just seven starts because he missed time with a lat strain and was shut down late in the year with a sore right shoulder.
  
  Scouting Report: Though his season was derailed by injuries, Perez’s feel, control and stuff are promising if he stays healthy. He throws four pitches, including a plus fastball that gets into the mid-90s. He is working with an above-average curveball and a developing slider that could be average or better as well. In addition, Perez has a feel for a plus changeup. He sells the pitch well, and throws it with roughly 10 mph of separation from his fastball. When Perez executes his changeup it shows run and sink away from lefthanded hitters.
  
  The Future: Perez will need a strong showing in 2019 to prove his health, but if he can get back on track, his stuff is enough project him as future mid-rotation starter thanks to his plus control.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #1 prospect in 2018
  When he was training with Carlos Guillen as an amateur, Franklin Perez was a strong-armed third baseman. But in reality, he was a pitcher who just hadn't found his true home yet. When he moved to the mound, he quickly showed a delivery and an aptitude that seemed somewhat remarkable for a newly minted pitcher. He quickly surpassed many more experienced pitchers in the 2014 international amateur class as a clean delivery and ability to work in the strike zone made Perez stand out. He missed a month early the 2017 season with a knee injury but still reached Double-A before his 20th birthday. The Tigers made him the signature acquisition in the Justin Verlander trade, although the Aug. 31 deal came late enough in the season that Perez never got into a game with a Tigers club. The Tigers have pitching prospects with higher ceilings than Perez, but none who combine stuff and feel like Perez does. For a young pitcher, Perez already understands many of the finer details of the craft. He responds quickly to instruction and shows an aptitude for adjustments. After working on a new grip for his slider in just one side session, he successfully took it into his next game. Perez generally sits 92-94 mph, although he can touch 95-96 at his best. There are some scouts who believe that he may end up throwing harder in his 20s because his delivery is clean and he has plenty of athleticism. What's most notable is he commands all four of his pitches. His 75-80 mph curveball is his best secondary pitch. He's long had an ability to spin it, with 12-to-6 break, and he's shown he can loosen it up as an early-count strike or tighten it as a swing-and-miss out pitch. His changeup is a potentially average pitch as well, with more deception than late fade. He's messed with a slider as well. It's hard (88-89 mph) with late movement. It could be described as almost a slutter, as it's in between a cutter and a bigger slider, but because of its power and late movement it's reasonably effective. Perez doesn't blow hitters away like a future No. 1, but he also doesn't have all that much left to refine to be a future middle-of-the-rotation starter. He'll head to Double-A Erie, but could be only a year away from Detroit.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #4 prospect in 2017
  Perez was a big, reasonably athletic third baseman in Carlos Guillen's program in Venezuela, but it was his throwing arm that stood out more than his power, so he wisely moved to the mound and signed for $1 million. He was one of the younger players in the low Class A Midwest League in 2016. The Astros saw Perez as one of the best arms in the 2014 international class (which included Anderson Espinoza), and so far he's lived up to those expectations. Perez's present size and stuff give him an excellent chance to develop as a starter. He pitched at 87-91 mph when he signed, but he's now sitting 92-94 and touching 96 with a plus fastball, and he does it with little effort. Perez's high-70s curveball has good shape and bite, and his changeup has fade and late sink along with good deception. He also toys with a low-80s slider that has potential as a right-on-right weapon. His control is advanced for his age, and 66 percent of his pitches he threw in Quad Cities were strikes. With a strong 2017, Perez could leap into the top tier of pitching prospects. With his feel and control he's ready to pitch in high Class A as a 19-year-old. He has a chance to have three plus pitches with at least average control, and he has the frame and ease of delivery that indicates he could be durable.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #21 prospect in 2016
  A pitcher turned third baseman who moved back to the mound as a 15-year-old, Perez impressed the Astros with his success against advanced competition in Venezuela's Parallel League, a winter league for younger players. Since signing for $1 million, he has shown an advanced approach to go with excellent athleticism in his quick acclimation to pro ball. Perez's fastball sits at 90-94 mph with downhill plane. He has room to add more strength (and possibly more velocity) as he matures. His big-breaking curveball is a trusty out pitch and he's shown feel for a changeup. Considering he has just made it to the States, it's hard to project what Perez could be down the road. But with two present quality pitches and an ability to throw strikes, he has all the makings of a mid-rotation starter with the chance to be even more than that.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Carolina League #5 prospect in 2017
  The Astros sent a cavalcade of talented arms through Buies Creek in 2017, and Perez has one of the brightest futures. The Tigers required him as the centerpiece of the three-player package that sent ace righthander Justin Verlander to the Astros at the end of August. At his best, Perez shows above-average command of three above-average or better pitches. His fastball reaches into the mid-90s, and he couples the pitch with a changeup, slider and a 12-to-6 curveball. He tweaked his slider grip later in the year to tighten the pitch and up its spin rate. His changeup sits in the low 80s and projects as above-average in the future. Perez missed roughly a month with a knee injury (though he was never placed on the disabled list), and with his combination of pitches and polish he has a top-of-the-rotation starter ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #10 prospect in 2016
  Signed out of Carlos Guillen's program for $1 million in 2014, Perez has pure mechanics and physical presence. Despite converting from an infielder when he was just 14, he has the pure mechanics of a longtime pitcher. Tall and projectable, Perez has the ideal pitcher's frame and is exceptionally athletic. He has good present size but scouts expect he can carry more weight. Perez, who pitched all season at age 18, made full-season ball look easy. He struck out 10.1 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.6 per nine, showing control that belies his years. His fastball sits 92-94 mph with a peak of 96. His curveball projects to be a plus offering, while his slider and changeup are presently average pitches. His mixes his pitches well and profiles as a starter.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #35 prospect in 2018
• Ranked Baseball America's #54 prospect in 2017

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perez was one of three players the Tigers received from the Astros in 2017 for Justin Verlander. The others--outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers--have reached the big leagues. Perez, meanwhile, has thrown just 27 innings since the trade because of various injuries and has yet to pitch above high Class A. The Tigers brought him to the alternate training site in 2020 and continued to get him innings in instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Perez's pure stuff has never been in question, but he cannot stay healthy enough to show it to anyone. He's dealt with a lat strain and repeated shoulder injuries. At his best, Perez works with a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup and a downer curveball. He introduced a slider in 2017, as well, before being traded to Detroit. All his pitches with the exception of his slider have flashed plus, and he throws strikes with above-average control. Now he just needs to get on the mound and stay healthy.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite his injury history, Perez landed on the Tigers' 40-man roster after the 2019 season. If his health keeps him from starting, he has enough stuff to stick in a late-inning bullpen role.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perez was one of three players the Tigers received from the Astros in 2017 for Justin Verlander. The others--outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers--have reached the big leagues. Perez, meanwhile, has thrown just 27 innings since the trade because of various injuries and has yet to pitch above high Class A. The Tigers brought him to the alternate training site in 2020 and continued to get him innings in instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Perez's pure stuff has never been in question, but he cannot stay healthy enough to show it to anyone. He's dealt with a lat strain and repeated shoulder injuries. At his best, Perez works with a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup and a downer curveball. He introduced a slider in 2017, as well, before being traded to Detroit. All his pitches with the exception of his slider have flashed plus, and he throws strikes with above-average control. Now he just needs to get on the mound and stay healthy.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite his injury history, Perez landed on the Tigers' 40-man roster after the 2019 season. If his health keeps him from starting, he has enough stuff to stick in a late-inning bullpen role.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perez’s arm strength helped facilitate a return to the mound after he trained temporarily as a third baseman at Carlos Guillen’s academy in Venezuela as an amateur. The No. 14 international ranked prospect in 2014 inked for a $1 million bonus with the Astros before being flipped to Detroit as part of the package for righthander Justin Verlander in 2017. A cluster of injuries has slowed down Perez, who has made nine starts in his last two seasons combined. A knee injury in 2017 was followed by a lat strain and shoulder woes in 2018, and the shoulder woes returned in 2019 and derailed much of his season
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Perez’s stuff offers significant upside. His fastball has a high spin rate, tops out in the mid-90s and projects as plus. He shows particularly good feel for a low-to-mid 80s changeup with excellent armside run. The pitch misses plenty of bats with hard, late sinking action. Perez’s curveball flashes above-average with good depth down in the strike zone. His slider has the potential to be a plus pitch as he’s become more comfortable with it.
  
  THE FUTURE: Perez needs a healthy 2020 to get back on track. His age, control and four-pitch mix point toward a future as a mid-rotation arm if he can stay healthy.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Perez's arm strength helped facilitate a return to the mound after he trained temporarily as a third baseman at Carlos Guillen's academy in Venezuela as an amateur. The No. 14 international ranked prospect in 2014 inked for a $1 million bonus with the Astros before being flipped to Detroit as part of the package for righthander Justin Verlander in 2017. A cluster of injuries has slowed down Perez, who has made nine starts in his last two seasons combined. A knee injury in 2017 was followed by a lat strain and shoulder woes in 2018, and the shoulder woes returned in 2019 and derailed much of his season
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: When healthy, Perez's stuff offers significant upside. His fastball has a high spin rate, tops out in the mid-90s and projects as plus. He shows particularly good feel for a low-to-mid 80s changeup with excellent armside run. The pitch misses plenty of bats with hard, late sinking action. Perez's curveball flashes above-average with good depth down in the strike zone. His slider has the potential to be a plus pitch as he's become more comfortable with it.
  
  THE FUTURE: Perez needs a healthy 2020 to get back on track. His age, control and four-pitch mix point toward a future as a mid-rotation arm if he can stay healthy.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Perez has missed most of the season with a lat muscle injury, but he’s returned to action in the past few weeks and is showing the same excellent stuff (92-96 mph fastball, a plus curveball, an average changeup and a fringe-average slider) he did pre-injury. His command and control has not been as sharp in his first starts back, but he is still the advanced pitcher he was when the Tigers traded for him last year.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: When he was training with Carlos Guillen as an amateur, Franklin Perez was a strong-armed third baseman. But in reality, he was a pitcher who just hadn't found his true home yet. When he moved to the mound, Perez quickly showed a delivery and an aptitude that seemed somewhat remarkable. He surpassed more experienced pitchers from the 2014 international amateur class, and his clean delivery and ability to work in the strike zone made Perez stand out. He signed with the Astros for $1 million in 2014 and, despite missing a month with a knee injury, he reached Double-A Corpus Christi before his 20th birthday in 2017. The Tigers made him the signature acquisition in the Justin Verlander trade with Houston, though the Aug. 31 deal came late enough in the season that Perez never got into a game with the Tigers. Scouting Report: The Tigers have pitching prospects with higher ceilings than Perez, but not one who combines stuff and feel like Perez. While he is less likely to be an ace, Perez also is about as safe a bet as a teenage pitcher can be to become a big league starter. For a young pitcher, he already understands many of the finer details of his craft. He responds quickly to instruction and shows an aptitude for adjustments. After working on a new grip for his slider in just one side session, he successfully took it into his next game. Perez generally sits 92-94 mph, though he can touch 96. Some scouts believe he may end up throwing a little harder in his 20s because his delivery is clean and he has plenty of athleticism. What's most notable is that Perez commands all four of his pitches. His 75-80 mph curveball is his best secondary pitch. He has long had an ability to spin it with 12-to-6 break, and he has shown he can loosen it as an early-count strike or tighten it up as a swing-and-miss out pitch. His changeup is a potentially average pitch as well, with more deception than late fade. His newly-added slider comes in at 88-89 mph with late movement. The Future: Perez doesn't blow hitters away like a future No. 1 starter, but he also doesn't have much to refine to be a future mid-rotation starter. He had knee problems in 2017 that are worth keeping an eye on, but he has present above-average stuff and advanced control for his age. He'll head to Double-A Erie in 2018 but could be only a year away from Detroit.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Perez was a big, reasonably athletic third baseman in Carlos Guillen's program in Venezuela, but it was his throwing arm that stood out more than his power, so he wisely moved to the mound and signed for $1 million. He was one of the younger players in the low Class A Midwest League in 2016. The Astros saw Perez as one of the best arms in the 2014 international class (which included Anderson Espinoza) and so far he's lived up to those expectations. Scouting Report: Perez's present size and stuff give him an excellent chance to develop as a starter. He pitched at 87-91 mph when he signed, but he's now sitting 92-94 and touching 96 with a plus fastball, and he does it with little effort. Perez's high-70s curveball has good shape and bite and his changeup has fade and late sink along with good deception. He also toys with a low-80s slider that has potential as a right-on-right weapon. His control is advanced for his age, and 66 percent of his pitches he threw in Quad Cities were strikes.
  
  The Future: With a strong 2017, Perez could leap into the top tier of minor league pitching prospects. With his feel and control he's ready to pitch in high Class A as a 19-year-old. He has a chance to have three plus pitches with at least average control and he has the frame and ease of delivery that indicates he could be durable.