Detroit Tigers rookie Wenceel Pérez has been turning heads with his impressive performance this season. The 24-year-old switch-hitter, signed out of the Dominican Republic in July 2016, has solidified his spot in the Tigers' lineup and shows no signs of slowing down. Pérez boasts a .301 batting average with four doubles, four triples, three home runs, 12 walks, and 24 strikeouts in just 29 games. His contributions have been crucial, particularly on defense, where he makes routine plays in both center and right field look easy.
"Awesome kid to have on a team," said manager A.J. Hinch. "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 teenager to a big leaguer, and he's rewarding all that work with a great performance."
Pérez’s breakout moment came in the Tigers' 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning, facing former All-Star reliever Joe Mantiply, Pérez blasted a changeup to the gap in left-center field, clearing the bases and securing 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 I was trying to be aggressive in the zone."
Pérez’s mature approach at the plate is evident in his statistics and mindset. "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 just try to get pitches in the zone, battle every pitch, and focus pitch by pitch, and then try to hit the ball." Since his arrival on April 8, he has shown an uncanny ability to adapt and thrive against major league pitching.
One of the reasons for Pérez's success is his ability to stay calm and focused. "Probably they're trying to do too much," Pérez said about other rookies struggling. "People are waiting on things that are going to happen with them, and they just overthink. It's a game. Sometimes, you're going to fail, but you're going to have another at-bat to try again. Try to have fun as much as you can, and then the numbers are going to come."
Hinch recognizes the value Pérez brings to the lineup, especially as a switch-hitter. "He's been a very dangerous hitter and worked his way into the middle of our order," Hinch said. "The placement of a switch-hitter in a lineup offers many challenges for what the other side is going to do as they go to their bullpen."
There's excitement in the air as Pérez prepares for a potential matchup with Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall draft pick from last year. Skenes recently delivered six no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts in his second MLB start, an impressive feat that Pérez watched with admiration. "That's unbelievable," Pérez said.
In mid-April, Skenes faced Toledo — the Triple-A affiliate of the Tigers — and delivered 3⅓ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, though he didn't get a chance to pitch against Pérez. The long-awaited showdown might happen soon, as Skenes is expected to pitch against the Tigers in a two-game series at Comerica Park on May 29. "He was doing an unbelievable job," Hinch said of Skenes' recent performance. "Electrifying arm, to say the least."
Pérez will undoubtedly be ready for the challenge, bringing the same approach that has worked 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 enjoy it as much as I can."
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