Longtime main league pitcher Oliver Pérez will retire after enjoying out the 2022 season with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League, the Toros introduced (on Twitter) final week. When the 40-year-old does formally step away, it’ll mark the tip of an expert profession that spanned over twenty years.
He started that run in April 1999, signing with the Padres as an beginner free agent out of Mexico. He spent the following few seasons ascending the minor league ladder, reaching the majors earlier than his twenty first birthday in 2002. He spent round a yr with the Friars earlier than they shipped him alongside Jason Bay to the Pirates for Brian Giles.
Pérez was downright glorious throughout his first full season with the Bucs. He tossed 196 innings of two.98 ERA ball in 2004, hanging out 29.7% of opponents. That got here at a time when the leaguewide strikeout fee was far decrease than it’s now, and Pérez’s mark trailed solely these of Randy Johnson and Johan Santana amongst 89 certified starters.
Even at his finest, Pérez struggled considerably to throw strikes. Walks grew to become an growing downside, and the southpaw had his share of ups and downs over the following few seasons. Pittsburgh traded him to the Mets as a part of a bundle to amass Xavier Nady on the commerce deadline in 2006, and he logged the following 4 and a half seasons in Queens. Pérez had a pair of productive seasons to begin his Mets tenure, combining for a 3.91 ERA throughout 371 frames between 2007-08. But his stroll and residential run charges spiked to untenable ranges the next couple seasons, and the Mets moved him to the bullpen halfway by means of the 2010 marketing campaign.
After spending 2011 as a starter within the Nationals’ system however failing to return to the majors, he moved to the bullpen full-time. That proved to be a profession turning level for Pérez. He’d get pleasure from a decade-long second act as a reliever, bouncing between a handful of groups however typically thriving in a situational function. Working in shorter stints, Pérez proved extra profitable than he’d been as a starter on the subject of throwing strikes. He posted an ERA beneath 4.00 in all three seasons from 2012-14 whereas enjoying for the Mariners and Diamondbacks. His ERA spiked over the following three seasons, however Pérez constantly posted robust peripherals in aid throughout stints with the Astros and Nationals.
After minor league offers with the Reds and Yankees didn’t end in a giant league alternative, Pérez seemed as if he is likely to be nearing the tip of his profession in 2018. He caught on with the Indians midseason, although, and he proved a useful weapon for skipper Terry Francona down the stretch. The veteran specialist impressively made 50 appearances from June 2 onward, working to a 1.39 ERA with a 35.8% strikeout fee and a 5.8% stroll proportion.
That offseason, he returned to Cleveland on a one-year assure with a vesting choice for 2020. He triggered that provision by making 67 appearances (with a 3.98 ERA) in 2019. Pérez continued to get stable outcomes in the course of the shortened season, however his peripherals went within the fallacious path. He re-upped with Cleveland on a minor league deal final winter. Whereas he made the roster out of Spring Coaching, the Indians designated him for project in late April. Pérez latched on with the Toros in Might. After pitching to a 2.63 ERA in 24 outings with the Mexican League membership, he’ll return for one more season in Tijuana to complete out his profession.
Pérez had a winding, exceptional run throughout his time within the majors. He appeared in 19 of the 20 MLB seasons between 2002-21, suiting up with eight totally different golf equipment on the huge league stage. Whereas he by no means established himself as a constantly productive rotation member over a number of years, Pérez posted top-of-the-rotation numbers over a full season in 2004 and intermittently seemed like a stable starter at different factors. But upon reinventing himself as a reliever, he proved a reliably efficient choice for numerous golf equipment. From 2012 onwards, Pérez posted a 3.42 ERA over 490 aid outings. He was particularly difficult for same-handed opponents, holding lefty batters to a cumulative .229/.300/.337 slash in that point.
General, Pérez posted a 4.34 ERA in 1,461 2/3 huge league innings. He punched out 1,545 batters, was credited with 73 wins and held 105 leads in a set-up capability. In response to Baseball Reference, Pérez earned a bit underneath $53MM in wage over the course of his prolonged huge league profession. MLBTR congratulates him on his accomplishments and desires him all the most effective in his upcoming season with the Toros and his post-playing days.
