Shortstop Juan Perez Plays for Family
PENSACOLA, Fla. - In the Perez household in a Los Angeles suburb, it was Juan's older brother Luis Jr., who earned all the glory in his family as the baseball phenom.
In fact, when Juan's parents, Cirila and Luis Sr., heard that the Cincinnati Reds drafted their son in the 26th round of the 2011 draft, they assumed it was Luis. He was three years older and a catcher in college.
Perez laughs now when recalling the memory. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos infielder was the one drafted. He had just earned the Western State South Division Conference Player of the Year at College of the Canyons as an 18-year-old.
My older brother was the super kid," Perez, now 23, said. "He made the all-area teams and all that. He was a phenom. I was pretty bad growing up."
His brother, Luis, never did get drafted. The brothers' sibling rivalry has been replaced since with Juan's relentless desire to one day play in the Major Leagues. The brothers talk nearly every day.
"He's supportive and I really do appreciate that," Perez said, smiling confidently. "I'm just trying to do more than he ever could. I feel legitimately I was put on this earth to play baseball. I'd like to show everyone my God-given talent on the biggest stage."
That may sound cocky to some but Perez is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. However, this season at the Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate in Pensacola, he does have plenty of reason to talk.
During his 11-game hitting streak, Perez was 10-30 (.333). After going 0-4, Perez started a six-game hitting streak going 9-26 (.346 ). Currently, he's batting .274, fourth best for the Blue Wahoos, has an .on-base percentage of .337 (5th) and leads the team with six stolen bases.
Perez has smacked five doubles, two triples, scored seven times and knocked in five runs RBIs this season.
His longest hitting streak in his five seasons in the minors is an 11-game hitting streak in 2012 for the Low-A Dayton Dragons from June 11-27. Perez batted .429 (18-42) with 10 runs scored, two doubles a home run and six RBIs.
Perez said getting used to the pitching is the biggest challenge at every level. He knew coming in to the Southern League, he would have to be ready. For him, that means following his daily routine that starts with stretching.
"When you get into a groove, the biggest thing is not thinking," Perez said. "You don't go in there knowing you have a hitting streak. You can't get caught up in the results. When you're in a groove you go up there and see the ball and hit the ball."
It helps that he's so relaxed at the plate. Part of the credit goes to his four-month-old lab mix, "Moose," who he named because of his large size. Perez spends an hour playing with him after every home game. He has a girlfriend, Kathryn Alderete, who he met last season in Bakersfield, Calif. She plans to see him play in Pensacola twice this summer.
And Perez has the support of his parents and two brothers, Luis Jr., and Esteban. Esteban is 11 years younger than Juan and looks up to his big brother. Filled with ink, Juan lifts up his shirt to show his younger brother's name tatooed up his right side.
"My parents don't like it at all," Juan said. "My dad is super old school."
But he admires them for leaving Guadalajara, Mexico, with next to nothing to scrape out a living for them and their children in Reseda, Calif. Luis Sr. is now an engineering assistant and his mom, Cirila, is a stay-at-home mom. His mom's name is engraved on the thumb of his infielder's glove.
"They are more of a success story than I am," Perez said. "They came here with nothing and found a way for everybody. It's nice to sit here and think about it."
If he does reach his major league dream, he sees himself being able to play in the infield or the outfield, becoming a consistent contact hitter and scoring runs in bunches. Plus, his parents will live in a big house and his mom will drive a yellow jeep.
"She didn't know anything about baseball at first," Perez said. "She was really excited we were just playing and having fun. She sees us having fun and she's happy."
The Blue Wahoos return home to play 10 games against the Mississippi Braves May 16th-20th and the Jackson Generals May 21st-25th. Come experience the family-fun entertainment! You can follow the team at BlueWahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall.
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