posted 7/5/12 12:09 PM PST
by Marc Hefferan
*MLBDepthCharts.com considers any player not on a team's 40-man roster, in AAA, or ranked as a top 10 prospect by Baseball America or top 11 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the 2012 season as an 'under the radar' player.
Under the Radar Minor League NL Hitting Performance of the Week
C Michael Perez, Rookie Level Missoula (ARI)
season stats: .327 BA, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 BB, 17 K in 12 games
June 27-July 3: 11-for-24, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3B, 10 RBI
On June 27th vs. Helena, Missoula second baseman Daniel Pulfer went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and six runs batted in and became only the second player in Osprey history to hit for the cycle. This also earned Pulfer MILB.com’s Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Week. However, in spite of Pulfer’s accomplishment, teammate and 'UTR Hitter of the Week' Michael Perez matched Pulfer’s 4-for-6 night with a triple, home run and five RBI's while falling only a double shy of completing what would have been the second cycle of the game. Perez’s June 27th feat may have been overshadowed, but the 19 year old catcher sits among the Pioneer League leaders in total bases (32), triples, slugging percentage and OPS.
Because they considered catcher a considerable weakness after building the system with top-line pitching, the Diamondbacks selected Perez in the 5th round out of Colegio Vocacional Para Adultos HS in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2011. A raw, power-hitting lefty with size, athleticism and a plus arm behind the plate, Perez lacks plate discipline and it showed in his 2011 Arizona League debut. He racked up 10 strikeouts in only 23 at-bats, yet the D'backs remained optimistic and assigned him to Missoula to start the 2012 season, where his bat has come alive with eight of his first 17 hits coming in extra base fashion. Perez has also gunned down 44% of attempted base stealers while committing zero errors in 113 chances on the young season. Likened to his major league counterpart Miguel Montero, the D'Backs already view him as the most promising catcher in the system. Perez carries the overall skills to become a more than serviceable signal caller, but his bat will be what helps or hurts him as he climbs the ladder. He will continue as Missoula’s catcher, but a promotion to Short-Season Yakima or Lo-A South bend isn’t out of the question before the end of the season.
Honorable Mentions
SS Alen Hanson, Lo-A West Virginia (PIT): .323 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 25 2B, 9 3B, 32 BB, 72 K, 21 SB in 79 games; 11-for-30, 3 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI in last week.
3B Brett Tanos, Hi-A Modesto (COL): .279 BA, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 13 2B, 3 3B, 49 BB, 42 K, 7 SB in 66 games; 9-for-26, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB in last week.
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UTR Minor League NL Pitching Performance of the Week
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