All-Time Indians: Rafael Perez

The position of the left handed relief specialist is a relatively new one in baseball as all around things have become more specialized. While there have always been left handed pitchers who came into games in relief, it wasn’t until the 1990’s that they were used for a single batter at a time, so it isn’t surprising that many of the greatest Indians left handers have played in recent seasons and Rafael Perez was one of the best.

Signed in 2002 as an international amateur by the Indians, Perez hails from the Dominican Republic, making him part of the huge influx of players from the island that started in the early 2000’s. Since then, more than 225 of the 329 Dominican pitchers in MLB history have made their debuts. Perez was initially signed as a starter, but didn’t show anything special until 2005 with the Aeros. He wasn’t used primarily as a reliever until the second half of 2006 when he finally made it to the AAA Bisons, but that was the only way he would ever pitch in the Majors.

The 2005 Indians were a disappointing team, but they did feature one of the greatest bullpens in team history including closer Bob Wickman, set up men Bob Howry and Rafael Betancourt along with left handed specialist Arthur Rhodes, all of whom held ERAs below 2.85 with at least forty innings. Going into 2006, however, there was a massive change as Wickman was no longer dependable and Howry and Rhodes were absent altogether. With no solid left handed specialist, Perez was initially promoted to the majors in late April, then later in June through July and finally as a September call-up. Across these three stints with the team, he was slightly less than impressive, allowing six runs in 12.1 innings across 18 appearances.

In 2007, Perez started in AAA, but was given a chance in late May and ultimately would go on to form one of the most dominant pairs in Indians history along with fellow Rafael, Betancourt. Used almost exclusively against left handers (Aaron Fultz was also available for most of the season if the lefties were separated in the lineup), Perez posted his greatest season ever in his first full. In 73 games, a number he wouldn’t match again in his career, Perez came in second behind Betancourt in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.93) and holds (12). This was part of a great combination for the Tribe that started with C.C. Sabathia (ultimately the Cy Young winner that year) and Fausto Carmona in the rotation. With excellent pitching from the first through the eighth (new closer Joe Borowski was one of the worst closers in team history), the Indians cruised to a Central Division title.

In the postseason, Perez was a big part of the bullpen during the series against the Yankees, pitching six innings in three games in the ALDS. He allowed just a single run on a solo home run, earned a win and struck out six. The following series would not be quite as successful. Against the Red Sox in the ALCS, Perez pitched just a single inning across three games, allowing two home runs and eight runs, five of which were earned, as the Indians went on to lost the series in seven games. While five of these runs came in the important game five and game six losses, the Indians lost those games by a total of 16 runs, so Perez’s effort was not particularly important.

While 2008 wouldn’t be quite as successful for Perez or the team, his greater responsibility lead to a few better numbers. His 25 holds that year remain tied for fifth in team history while his 73 games pitched remain in the top ten. In addition to throwing 76.1 innings, Perez struck out 86, leading to a very impressive 10.2 K/9. This was his best K/9 for a full season and significantly higher than his 7.3 career rate. While not as impressive as his previous season, his 3.54 ERA was still impressive.

Perez’s 2009 campaign was something of a mystery. Without any obvious reason, Perez saw his ERA jump to 7.31 in 48 innings while his strike out rate dropped to six. With this inconsistency, Perez was replaced as the left handed specialist by Tony Sipp, who had an impressive year in his own right with a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings in his rookie season.

In the following two seasons, Perez recovered his step and returned to his top form. Of course, with Sipp now a colleague, Perez had to split his LOOGY duties, leading to a significant decrease in important situations. In both 2010 and 2011 both Perez and Sipp pitched in about 70 games with just over 60 innings with Perez posting respective 3.25 and 3.00 ERAs. Each year, however, Sipp was the more efficient pitcher as far as average was concerned and struck out more batters and Perez was continually pushed out.

Going into 2012, Perez was dealing with a shoulder injury that decreased his velocity and after a 3.52 ERA through eight games in April, was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a strained lat. After arthroscopic surgery ended his season, Perez was released by the Indians to make room on the roster for another left handed reliever, Nick Hagadone. While he attempted comebacks with Boston, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Texas, Perez was never able to make it back to the Majors. While he is officially still a free agent, he has not pitched since 2012 and is unlikely to be signed. Because of this, at the moment he has played his entire seven year career with the Indians, making him the first player to play at least seven years only in Cleveland since Bob Lemon ended his 15 year career in 1958. On a more statistical level, Perez ranks third in Indians history in career holds behind just Joe Smith and Betancourt. While this is a relatively new stat, it is also a relatively new position and Perez’s success is well noted.