Eury Perez

Perez got the call to the big leagues on May 12, less than a month after his 20th birthday. It didn't take long for him to justify the hype; in a six-start stretch from May 28 to June 25, the lanky, 6-foot-8 righty went 4-0 with a 0.27 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 38:9 K:BB while completing at least five innings in each of those outings. The Marlins monitored his pitch counts closely and built in an extended breather around the All-Star break. Perez would go on to pitch to a 4.26 ERA in eight starts following his return to the majors in August before left hip inflammation ended his season. Home runs were a bit of an issue down the stretch -- he allowed nearly two homers per nine following his return -- but it's understandable that he'd be a bit gassed given his age and the fact that he'd previously topped out at just 77 innings. Between Double-A and the majors, Perez logged 128 innings last season, so a jump to 160-170 frames seems reasonable if far from guaranteed. Sky's the limit long term with his fastball-slider-curveball-changeup mix.

At certain points in 2022, Perez had a decent case to be considered the top pitching prospect for fantasy. Over the first three months of the season, the lanky 6-foot-8 19-year-old righty had a 3.05 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 87:14 K:BB in 62 innings across 13 starts. If we exclude his first three starts, Perez had a 1.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 50 innings from April 29 through July 7. He was a 19-year-old in complete control of at-bats against hitters who were often three to five years his senior. However, he started scuffling after that and was sent to the injured list with arm fatigue. Fortunately, he made it back in September and struck out 17 in seven innings across three appearances, so we can at least say he finished the season healthy. Perez has a deep, four-pitch arsenal headlined by a mid-to-upper-90s fastball that gets on hitters even quicker thanks to his extension. His command and composure are perhaps the most impressive aspects of his profile, as many talented starters his age are a year or two away from having the maturity to get Double-A hitters out. He probably won't get to 150 innings in his age-20 season, but he should make his big-league debut if he stays healthy.

We all know how risky pitchers of Perez's ilk are at this point, but he has still captivated the imaginations of many and has a universal approval rating from scouts. The 6-foot-8 righty won't turn 19 until April, and yet he has already dominated Low-A (1.61 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 27.5 K-BB%) and was similarly exceptional in five starts at High-A to close last season (2.86 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 25.3 K-BB%). His fastball is a devastating offering, touching the high-90s and playing up even more due to the extension Perez generates from his long levers and the excellent vertical break on the pitch. He also threw the pitch for strikes 71% of the time, making it essentially a perfect fastball. His secondary pitches remain a work in progress, which is fine, given his youth, but the quality of his fastball and control should allow all of his pitches to play up. The Marlins have the lanky righty on the fast track, but he hasn't experienced any adversity yet, and those streaks don't usually last as young pitchers march to the big leagues.