Martin Perez made a lasting impression on Rocco Baldelli in the one year they worked together.
The Minnesota Twins manager praised the left-handed pitcher last week after he joined the Red Sox in free agency. Perez spent only one season with the Twins but impressed Baldelli with his willingness to adapt and develop his craft.
“He was a great member of our team on the field and in the clubhouse,” Baldelli told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “He’s very open-minded and came in wanting to contribute — wanting to work with the staff, work toward making adjustments to better himself. I think he redefined himself in some ways. I think he proved to himself that he can do other things out on the mound. He can manipulate the ball and do things that he previously didn’t. I think he grew a lot.”
After spending his first seven Major League Baseball seasons with the Texas Rangers, Perez moved to Minnesota, where he went 10-7 with a 5.12 ERA in 165 1/3 innings over 32 appearances (29 starts).
Perez’s addition of a cut fastball to his repertoire in 2019 particularly impressed Chaim Bloom, and the Red Sox chief baseball officer is confident the 28-year-old’s new weapon will help him to continue to progress in Boston.
“His stuff took a step forward last year,” Bloom told Speier. “We think there’s still more to come in terms of translating that into results. His approach, especially against righthanded hitters, we think we can help him there. Any time a pitcher adds a new weapon, it may click immediately, but sometimes it might not. We look at (the cutter) and see a lot of promise, especially when executed well.”
Perez told The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams on Thursday he considers his Red Sox move a “dream come true” and a “big opportunity.” He can boost his chances of making the most of that dream by maintaining the positive mindset that struck Baldelli and Bloom from up close and afar, respectively.
