Top 15 Hitters: #13 Cesar Perez

Cesar Perez
6'2" 190 lbs DOB: 3/8/1993
Third Baseman
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
2010: Gulf Coast League
Acquired: 2009, Venezuela

Perez is on this list for the complete opposite reasons of Stephen Vogt. Almost a decade younger, Perez is, at this point, all pedigree and ceiling. The Rays signed him for $1 million out of Venezuela in 2009, their first ever seven-figure bonus handed out to an international amateur. The early buzz on him was that his calling card was big-time power from the right side.

That wasn't immediately on display in 2010. Rather than have him play in the Venezuelan or Dominican Summer League, the Rays brought him state-side and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League, where even among high school draft picks, he was young at 17 years old. Regardless, any way you slice it, a .484 OPS is way lower than you'd want to see from a bonus baby.

Here are the positives to draw from his debut season: First, the GCL is an extreme pitchers' league, so a .484 OPS is only "really bad" as opposed to "ridiculously bad." Secondly, his 17 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 games tells me that he's not overmatched. He hit only .174 and for little power, and 33 strikeouts isn't nothing, but it's not like pitchers were regularly blowing it past him. And the healthy walk total is nice to see, especially from a 17-year-old, especially when he's from an area known for producing a lot of free swingers.

Perez gets a pass for in 2010 stats based on his age and his considerable ceiling. He's not going to rocket through the system, and he'll likely be back in the GCL (perhaps Princeton) in 2010, where I'd expect performance more in line with the tools and ceiling.