June 26, 2007

Perez on fast track to major leagues

Springfield Cardinals closer Chris Perez could soon land in the majors Division I closers are finding way to majors quickly in specialization age.

Allen Vaughan
News-Leader

Chris Perez is part of a rare breed.

No, not because he can run his fastball to the plate nearly 1.5 times the interstate speed limit or throw a knee-buckling slider that sweeps the plate like an umpire's brush.

No, it's because that of all the closers in Major League Baseball, only two were closers in college and stayed that way through the minors on the way to the big leagues. Not once did they moonlight as starters, despite being high draft choices.

The two? Oakland's Huston Street and Š

"Chad Cordero," said Perez, the Springfield Cardinals closer, referring to the Washington Nationals closer.

"I pay attention."

Perez, one of eight Springfield players selected to tonight's Texas League All-Star game in Corpus Christi, Texas, is hopeful he gets to be the next fast-track closer, the one who pumps his fist after closing a game at the big-league level. And he is hopeful of doing it not long after being drafted 42nd overall in the supplemental first round of the 2006 draft.

How fast is the fast track to the major leagues?

Street pitched three levels of minor-league ball, ascending to Triple-A by the end of the same year he was drafted (2004). He was Oakland's closer by the end of 2005.

It was even faster for Cordero. He pitched for High-A Brevard County of the Florida State League in 2003 when he was drafted 20th overall. He was up with Washington by the end of the same season and closer by the end of the next season.

Closers in 2007

The closer is a niche role, traditionally an nontraditional position.

Some closers are former starters who couldn't cut it for five or more innings. Others become closers at the end of their careers. Some are bullpen guys who've shown they can cut it after paying some dues.

Even in the specialization age of pro baseball, there isn't one way to become the guy who gets credit for the saves.

Not many are prepackaged like Perez. Of the 30 closers currently in the big leagues, only Street and Cordero have never started a game at any level of pro baseball.

Powerhouse closers like Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees), Eric Gagne (Texas Rangers) and Francisco Rodriguez (Los Angeles Angels) originally were starters in the minor leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen was a starter when drafted in 1991 by the New York Mets in the 44th round out of Lewis and Clark Community College. When he went down with an injury last season, Adam Wainwright, who had never closed before at the big-league level, recorded the last out of last year's World Series.

Perez, who goes 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, never had to worry about starting as a professional. He said the Cardinals always envisioned him as a reliever — potentially a replacement for Isringhausen.

"Some organizations wanted to draft me and turn me into a starter, but the Cardinals wanted to keep me as a reliever," Perez said. "I liked that. I want to stay a closer."

Drafting relievers

The first sign big-league clubs were willing to fast-track relievers — closers, in particular — to the big leagues was the 2003 draft.

That's when Cincinnati selected University of Houston reliever Ryan Wagner at No. 14, the Nationals took Cordero out of Cal-State Fullerton at No. 20 and San Francisco drafted Rice University reliever David Aardsma at No. 22.

Cordero has been a reliable closer, while Wagner has been injury-prone and Aardsma has been ineffective.

Aardsma broke into the big leagues with the Giants and already has played for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. Wagner is on the 60-day disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis for the Nationals.

"Suddenly teams realized (relievers) aren't that far away (from the big leagues) and a guy who makes it quickly increases the return on their investment," said Keith Law, the lead baseball analyst for Scouts, Inc. "It changed the evaluation process a little bit. Š It's a permanent part of the draft now."

Then came Street, a supplemental first-round pick out of Texas, 40th overall, in 2004, whose success — 37 saves in 2006 — has teams now believing they can get a major Division I closer to the big leagues for immediate help.

Since 2003, two or three relievers have been selected within Perez's range each year.

"They're more of a finished product. Š If you're from a major Division I program, you have experience and may not be tested until Triple-A or even the majors," Law said. "But that doesn't mean they'll be a success, either."

Perez, the closer

While at the University of Miami, Perez was a starter as a freshman. A biceps injury derailed him for the season and by the time he was healthy, his spot in the rotation was taken.

To the bullpen he went. The rest is history.

Perez compiled 20 saves while at Miami, striking out 144 batters in 118 innings in parts of three seasons. It was a role Perez never thought he would occupy, but he relished it the more he was given the ball with the game on the line.

"I love it. At first, everyone wants to be a starter, that's where you make all the money. As soon as I got thrown in there, I loved it," said Perez, who will be 22 on July 1.

"I love pitching every day. My arm feels good every day. Some guys, they throw one day and they're sore the next day. My arm's not like that. I like being able to go throw four days a week."

And good thing for Springfield. Perez has been the hammer out of the bullpen the organization was hoping for.

So far this season, his line looks like this: 19 saves in 20 appearances, 50 strikeouts and 20 walks over 30 1/3 innings and opponents are hitting .152 against him.

Last year at Low-A Quad Cities, he had 12 saves, 32 strikeouts and 19 walks in 29 1/3 innings, skipping rookie ball, and opponents hit .198.

"He's doing a great job for us," Springfield manager Pop Warner said. "It's nice to have a guy like that who can get outs and isn't afraid of a big situation."

The 18 walks is slightly troubling, especially when Perez has six appearances with more than one free pass.

But Perez likes the freedom of not having to worry about setting up hitters like starters, who must go through the batting order two or three times.

"I can go out there and throw as hard as I can," Perez said. "Don't have to worry about setting up guys for later in the game — I can just go out there and throw my 'out' pitch right away. It's definitely an advantage to be a reliever."

Cardinal future

How fast is the fast track?

Isringhausen is in the last year of his contract with St. Louis and it's not out of the question to think Perez could be with the big-league club as soon as the beginning of next season. Remember the paths taken by Street and Cordero.

The next step may be a promotion to Triple-A Memphis. Then again, current Memphis closer Brian Falkenborg has major-league experience and 2006 Springfield closer Mark Worrell is at Memphis, as well.

Warner said he doesn't know if Perez will be called up soon.

For one thing, Perez is unlike previous Springfield closers Josh Kinney, Andy Cavazos, Cory Doyne and Worrell — all but Worrell are in the big leagues, but not as closers.

Then again, none of them received an $800,000 signing bonus when drafted.

"(The Cardinals) didn't give me a timetable," Perez said. "They just said it was up to me how fast I'd get there."