3 hours ago3 hr Author Fangraphs had Junior Perez as #8 on the A's prospect listAthletics Top 36 Prospects | FanGraphs Baseball8. Junior Perez, CFSigned: July 2nd Period, 2017 from Dominican Republic (SDP)Age24.8Height6′ 0″Weight190Bat / ThrR / RFV45Tool Grades (Present/Future)HitRaw PowerGame PowerRunFieldingThrow30/3555/5550/5560/6045/4560Perez broke out as a complex-level Padre back in 2019, then was traded to the A’s as the PTBNL for Jorge Mateo after the 2020 season. He crawled through A-ball during the next couple of years, striking out 30% of the time or more from 2021 through 2024, though he managed to hit a bunch of homers and steal a bunch of bases in each of those seasons. He cut his strikeout rate (28.6%) in a repeat season at Double-A Midland in 2025, and kept it there (26.9%) during the final two months of the season after he had been promoted to Las Vegas. It was enough of an improvement (ditto for Perez as a center field defender) for the A’s to add him to their 40-man roster, putting him in position to debut in 2026 and compete for a sustained role starting in 2027.Perez has plus bat speed and good enough timing to damage pitches in the zip code of the zone’s center, which he sprays to all fields. He lacks great bat control, and swings underneath a ton of in-zone fastballs and breaking balls that find the top and bottom edges of the box, respectively. Perez’s 74% in-zone contact rate would be one of the three lowest among qualified big leaguers since 2024, and he posted that mark mostly at Double-A. This makes his hit tool feel flimsy and gives him strikeout-driven bust risk. The good news is that his selectivity at the dish means he tends to target pitches he can handle, and he does a good amount of damage when he makes contact.The piece of Perez’s profile that will actually give him room to strike out at an elevated clip is his defense, which has improved across the last few seasons to the point where he can now play a passable center field. Perez is a plus runner and takes fairly efficient routes to balls hit into the gaps and over his head, and he also has a good arm. He is not nearly as good out there as Denzel Clarke, but he’s a more consistent power threat on offense. What the A’s want out of their center fielder of the near future might depend on how the rest of the offense is performing. Perez could be a plus corner defender and occasionally spell Tyler Soderstrom or Lawrence Butler against lefties, who he posted a .375 xwOBA against in 2025. He’s a pretty good roster fit for them and should play a meaningful role soon, perhaps by the second half of 2026 if he continues to strikeout less than 30% of the time in Vegas.
3 hours ago3 hr Author Sox send UDFA LHP Jackson Nove. Jackson Nove Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com
3 hours ago3 hr 7 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:AAA depth when Braden is called up next week...Sure hope so. If Nove even sniffs our major league roster then we have big trouble in little China.
2 hours ago2 hr 23 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:AAA depth when Braden is called up next week...Sure seems that way. @tray right now… Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by WhiteSox2023
2 hours ago2 hr It’s funny I was looking at Nove just yesterday. He’s been impressive, especially since for a NDFA. I think this deal is ok though. Pretty toolsy guy and an area of need.
2 hours ago2 hr 3 minutes ago, Lukakke Appling said:It’s funny I was looking at Nove just yesterday. He’s been impressive, especially since for a NDFA.I think this deal is ok though. Pretty toolsy guy and an area of need.Definitely worth a shot. This guy is a little old (turning 25 in July) but he tore it up last year in AAA. Sox need a CF. Worth a flier.
1 hour ago1 hr Tell me if you've heard this profile before: good plate discipline, big power, whiffs in the zone
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