Delvin

Perez

Pérez signed a minor league contract with the Yankees back in January and winds up being cut loose after batting .170/.296/.305 with two homers and nine steals across 71 plate appearances this season for Double-A Somerset. The 24-year-old middle infielder was a first-round selection of the Cardinals back in 2016 and has yet to reach the majors.

Pérez was selected by the Cardinals with the 23rd overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, but he never quite put it together offensively as he made his way through their minor league system. The 24-year-old slashed just .223/.315/.314 in 95 games (337 plate appearances) last season between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. Granted, he did rack up 21 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

MLB.com’s Jim Callis says Perez will receive the slot value for the No. 23 overall pick, which is $2.2225 million. Perez was viewed as one of the most talented players in the draft class but slid to No. 23 after testing positive for a PED. He will not face a suspension for his positive PED test since he was tested as an amateur.

Perez was expected to be a top-five pick until reports surfaced about him testing positive for a PED. He won’t face a suspension, since he was tested as an amateur, and he seems like a very good gamble for the Cardinals here, especially with the team also having the 33rd and 34th picks in the first round. Perez is a legitimate defensively shortstop with ample offensive potential, though he doesn’t figure to move all that quickly.

Perez also scored a run and drew a walk, and was also caught stealing. The Cardinals first-round pick last summer, Perez has obvious talent; he’s a plus-plus runner who can make all the plays at shortstop, and he also has some sneaky power potential from the right side. Applying these skills has been an issue at times, but that’s not unheard of for teenagers. If you’re looking for a long-term prospect at shortstop, Perez makes a lot of sense.

According to Law, Perez was the “star” of the showcase and “head and shoulders above everyone else.” On the scouting scale, Perez has 70-grade speed with plus power. While Law considers Perez “less polished” than former No. 1 pick Carlos Correa, Law acknowledges that Perez is faster and a better defensive player than Correa. The Correa comparison is easy to make because both players are from Puerto Rico, but Law thinks Perez actually has more in common with Justin Upton and Byron Buxton. Either way, Perez should be one of the first players off the board in this year’s MLB Draft.