What you need to know about Eury P¨Śrez's debut
Christina De Nicola
@cdenicola13If the Marlins' efforts to commemorate the franchise's 30th anniversary weren't already special enough, top prospect Eury Pérez is making his highly anticipated Major League debut while wearing the throwback teal pinstripe uniforms.
In a big night for South Florida sports, P¨Śrez is facing the Reds live at loanDepot park on the same night the NBA's Miami Heat and the NHL's Florida Panthers are trying to advance to the next round of their respective postseason series.
P¨Śrez, whom the Marlins signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic less than four years ago, has been on the fast track ever since. With Miami (19-19) keeping pace early on in the National League East, P¨Śrez joins a young but talented rotation dealing with some injuries.
Here is the info you need for his debut:
How can fans watch the game?
If fans are unable to attend in person, the game is airing on Bally Sports Florida. It is also available to stream for free on MLB.TV.
What number is P¨Śrez wearing?
P¨Śrez is wearing No. 39 with the Marlins after wearing No. 30 at Double-A Pensacola and No. 76 during big league Spring Training.
How old is P¨Śrez?
P¨Śrez was born on April 15, 2003, during the first month of the Marlins' second World Series title run.
Why is P¨Śrez such a big deal?
When your name is mentioned in the same sentence as the late Jos¨Ś Fern¨˘ndez, you know your ceiling is high. At 20 years and 27 days old, P¨Śrez will become the youngest pitcher in franchise history to make his Major League debut, surpassing Fern¨˘ndez (20 years, 250 days) in 2013.
As MLB Pipeline's No. 9 overall prospect, P¨Śrez also is the highest-ranked Marlins pitching prospect since Fern¨˘ndez (No. 7 in 2013). Bypassing the Triple-A level is no small feat. Then again, the precocious P¨Śrez is used to facing competition older than him. This season at Double-A Pensacola, he was more than four years younger than the batters he held to a .148 average.
"To have the body control, the coordination, the mobility, the flexibility, the power to repeat and do what he does, you don't find that, you don't see that," assistant director of international scouting David Hernandez Beayne said. "It is extremely rare. Normally you see that in smaller guys, but at his size [6-foot-8], it just doesn't happen. And that's what happens when you mix that size with that skill set. You get something special."
How long will P¨Śrez pitch in his debut?
While manager Skip Schumaker wouldn't tip his hand as to what exactly the pitch and inning limits will be, the most pitches P¨Śrez has thrown in a start is 90. He has completed six innings just four times in 44 career pro outings.
"We'll monitor it," Schumaker said. "We're going to protect him. There's no doubt about it. But we're going to try to win games, too. [He's] not just up here to have fun. We're going to protect him, use him the right way, because we know he has a bright future for this organization."
Added general manager Kim Ng: "This is going to be a situation where we are going to be watching him very closely and monitoring everything that goes on in the game -- what his pitch count is, how stressful those pitches have been. But it's going to be an entire group of people making sure that we do the best thing for him."
What can we expect from P¨Śrez?
According to MLB Pipeline's scouting report, P¨Śrez's fastball ranges from 94-97 mph and peaks at 100. His deceptive upper-80s changeup generates a high swing-and-miss rate, and his mid-80s slider grades as a plus pitch. P¨Śrez has always pounded the zone, as evidenced by his career strikeout (12.6 K/9) and walk (2.9 BB/9) rates.
"I think we have to temper the expectations a little bit," Schumaker said. "He's 20 years old. He's supposed to be a junior in college, and he's going to be facing the Reds. I think we have to just slow down the expectations a little bit. But he's earned it. It's not just because we needed somebody. He's earned this position. I think that is what should be taken away. It's not just, 'Let's just see what this 20-year-old can do.' He's earned every bit of getting a promotion, and I think a lot of the guys in there are excited to see him walk through those doors."
Will P¨Śrez slot right into the rotation and pitch every fifth day?
The ideal situation is for a top prospect to reach the Majors and remain there for good rather than going back and forth due to a lack of success.
"I'm not sure I'm willing to go out and commit to anything right now, but we do have a couple of starting pitchers on the IL [in Trevor Rogers and Johnny Cueto], so we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it," Ng said.
P¨Śrez checked an important box his last time on the mound on Sunday, starting on regular four days' rest for the first time in his career. With a Major League five-man rotation, that is the norm. Ng said that there are enough off-days on the schedule that sometimes P¨Śrez will wind up getting that extra day of rest anyways.
Who is P¨Śrez's player comparison?
All Spring Training, teammates, coaches and front-office members alike teased Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara about his "son." P¨Śrez, who trained over the offseason with the National League Cy Young Award winner and shares the same agent, followed him around like a shadow. There are worse people to emulate.
The pair has similar arsenals -- P¨Śrez is merely missing Alcantara's sinker, the veteran quips. The 6-foot-8 P¨Śrez also is one of the few people who makes the 6-foot-5 Alcantara look small.
Where is he from?
P¨Śrez is from Santiago -- the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic -- in the neighborhood of Villa Liberaci¨Žn, La Otra Banda. At 8 years old, He was playing plaquita with his friends near the family's apartment. For his 11th birthday, P¨Śrez asked his mother, Xiomara, if he could play organized baseball. It was at the Emilio Dom¨Şnguez Liga that trainer Alexander De Aza saw P¨Śrez and brought him over to his academy.
How did the Marlins acquire him?
The Red Sox and Rockies had previously been in on P¨Śrez, but concerns emanating from his physical had them moving on. One day after trying out for the Angels, P¨Śrez pitched for the Marlins at their old DR Academy in Santo Domingo. Facing five batters, including future prospects Jose Salas and Ian Lewis, P¨Śrez didn't allow a hit on 25 pitches. His name was the first brought up in a post-tryout conference, and the Marlins were able to woo him away from the Angels by signing him for $200,000.