Wise Kraken 34.2032: Juan Perez Making the Leap?

[aaronweiner]

Arthur Dempster gets all the press, and Lucas Meech and his 3-0 record has been the big story of the 2032 season in April. Overlooked in the headlines has been Juan Perez, who is at this point the Carolina de facto #1 starter.

"I'm not a huge headline grabber," said Perez. "I've had a lot of relatives who were ballplayers, and they've told me in no uncertain terms that the surest way to becoming a washout is to think too much of yourself, too fast. I don't have that problem."

Perez was actually the Opening Day starter, but all anyone could ask was "Why wasn't it Dempster?" If you look deeper, there was no good reason to ask the question. Dempster has the pedigree, drafted #1 overall in 2029, but Perez has worked for everything he's gotten. An unheralded second rounder in 2026, Perez has risen through the Kraken ranks through hard work, and has made himself into a rock-solid starting pitcher.

"He's outpitched me both years I think," said Dempster. "People don't pay enough attention to him, but he throws almost as hard as I do, and he's so much more refined than I am. He's ahead of where I am right now. I actually look up to the guy, and he's taught me all the things his pitcher dad taught him, and it's helping me as much as it's helping him I think."

At this point, Perez appears to still have some problems with the long ball, but has been otherwise superb. He's 1-3 with a 3.32 ERA and a 27/9 K/BB ratio at this point in 40 innings, and while the team still has him on a low pitch count the righty has thrown for around 6.2 innings per start due to his excellent efficiency. One wonders whether or not he'll start posting complete game shutouts if they lift the restrictions on him.

"We're adamant about lettiing our young starters throw on a pitch count because their arms are still developing," said Kraken pitching coach Ed Eldridge. "However, we might raise Arthur and Juan's pitch counts because they're both durable starters who are getting into their mid-20s, so that'll make it easier for us to be flexible."

[RonCo]

#1 is just a number.