Pérez lights up radar guns in ST debut

JUPITER, Fla. -- It’s safe to say Marlins top prospect Eury Pérez was amped up for his Grapefruit League debut.

Pérez lit up the radar gun with 99.6 mph against 2022 National League MVP Award finalist Nolan Arenado, the second batter he faced in Sunday afternoon's 8-2 loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

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"Talking about Arenado, one of the most notable players in the Major League level, he's an unbelievable player, so I was giving a little extra -- not only with him but with all the players -- maybe a little extra with Arenado," Pérez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. "It was very exciting facing him."

Pérez, who turns 20 on April 15, showed flashes of his electrifying potential while also highlighting the boxes that still need to be checked in his development during his two-inning outing. He allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout against a lineup made of most of the Cardinals' projected Opening Day roster.

Tasked with following 15-year MLB veteran Johnny Cueto on Sunday, Pérez worked a scoreless third on 17 pitches. Juan Yepez popped out to shallow right on the first pitch -- a 98-mph four-seamer -- before Arenado grounded out to third base. Nolan Gorman then lined a two-strike single to present a matchup of MLB Pipeline Top 15 prospects: Pérez (No. 13) vs. Jordan Walker (No. 4).

Walker, who knocked a three-run homer in his first at-bat, legged out an infield single (28.5 ft/sec sprint speed) to the left side of the infield to keep the inning alive. The game then sped up a bit on Pérez, as he balked with two baserunners in motion and Alec Burleson at the plate. It didn't faze Pérez any further: He struck out Burleson on a 91 mph changeup outside the strike zone.

"We enjoyed it," said Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, who received his NL Cy Young Award before the game and has been mentoring Pérez. "First pitch of the game, 98 [mph], is something that I didn't do when I was young like him. You saw it. He was a little nervous. But that happened to me, that happened to everybody. He's talented. Hopefully he'll get the opportunity in September, hopefully we can see him in September. He's got to keep working hard, keep being healthy and keep competing, and he'll get the opportunity."

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In the fourth inning, Andrew Knizner grounded out and Jose Fermin blooped a double. After a Tommy Edman lineout, Tyler O'Neill laced an RBI double on a two-strike slider. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. visited the mound, relaying the message of Pérez needing to mix his pitches more. Pérez was falling into patterns, something that is hard to get away with at the big league level.

"I was pretty much kind of just letting him do what he was comfortable with today, just because it was his first time out," said Jacob Stallings, who hadn't caught Pérez before. "But that's part of learning things, and he probably got into a couple of patterns there, and they took advantage on the bases, too, because he got into a pattern, same looks. That's just part of it. He's young guy, never pitched above Double-A. He'll get there."

Pérez's first big league camp is a learning experience. Manager Skip Schumaker found the teenager's debut to be encouraging. Between an easy delivery, command of all his pitches and a high-90s fastball that can play at the MLB level, there's a lot to like about Pérez.

Following Stottlemyre's mound visit, Pérez bested Yepez in an eight-pitch at-bat with an inning-ending popout to strand a runner in scoring position. It showed Schumaker that Pérez could compete.

"That he can do it," Schumaker said of the takeaway. "I think that's what you have to understand when you go out there your first time is you're unsure if you can do this or not. You think you can do it. Until you go out there and there's fans and you're facing Nolan Arenado and some big boys out there [you don't know]. It's good competition, and now he just understands that there's still work to do."