Hernan Perez elects free agency

[TURBO]

Not huge news, or a surprise really... I'd like to turn the page and get someone else who can do his job better.

 

 

 

Hernan Perez has elected to become a free agent.

 

Perez was outrighted off the Brewers' 40-man roster on Wednesday and will head to the open market rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A San Antonio. The 28-year-old utilityman struggled to a .228/.262/.379 batting line with eight home runs and five stolen bases over 91 games with Milwaukee in 2019.

 

Oct 16, 2019, 5:55 PM ET

[dlk9s]

Struggled this season, but overall, was a solid player and a good person to have on the team. Could play all over the place and seemed to happily do whatever was asked of him.

[long ball]

Perez didn't "annoy" me as much as he did other posters here or on twitter, but I do think he got too many PAs over the last couple of seasons.

 

Playing passable defense at 7 positions is useful. He will catch on somewhere with a minor league deal and an invite to big league camp.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I really liked Perez, and as a long time Brewer (relatively speaking) I'm sad to see him go. But the last 2 years failing to carry even a .700 OPS really sealed the deal.

 

I hope he catches on somewhere and gets his bat going.

[Matt Breen]

Thanks, Hernan, for some nice moments. He seems like a good guy, and will be missed in the clubhouse. I appreciated what he brought to the team, but at this stage, it just isn't worth it. He just doesn't hit enough, and his versatility means he gets too many at bats. And at the price of $2M+, we have other options.

 

Someone will likely give him a job (at closer to the minimum) - and I wish him well (except when he plays us).

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't think most people had an issue with Perez. Just thought he was overused. I always liked him.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Perez was a useful player from a young age. He just never got any better. I always liked his enthusiasm for the game and his overall baseball smarts. But his plate discipline was poor, and he never hit with enough consistency to find a full time role. You can certainly do a lot worse for a utility guy, but his time here has run it's course.

[bjkrautk]

Hard to blame the guy for leaving when they dropped him mid-season.

 

He had a good run with the team; I wish him well.

[liveforoctober]

Perez was a glue guy. He or Pina were always the one carrying the Gatorade bucket after a walk off win, that spoke volumes to me about their place among the players. But like others have said, in terms of pure production we likely need to do better.

[JohnBriggs12]

Great team guy. He accepted utility role even after putting up solid numbers at 25 in 2016 as a semi-regular. I think eventually the sporadic playing time got to him offensively. He was putting a ton of pressure on himself with runners in scoring position this year. You could almost sense it. It might be too late, but if a rebuilding team ever stuck him in a lineup on a daily basis, I think you'd see a much more productive hitter. Will eventually be on the Brewer wall though and he deserves it.

 

Coaching/managing might be in his future.

[cesser000]

There goes our bullpen

[KeithStone53151]

I'm calling a spade a spade here. Glad he's gone. He's a better fit on an AL team where he can be an emergency option and solid defensively at all positions but never have to PH and theoretically never step foot on the diamond.

[RollieTime]

This was the smart move. Love Perez as a person and what he brings to the clubhouse, but he just didn’t provide enough value. His performance has steadily declined the last 3 seasons. Sad to say, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t even catch on with another team. Maybe somebody like the Royals or Orioles give him a shot, but I don’t think there’s any untapped potential left where teams will have much interest. He is what he is. A versatile defender with an impatient, below average bat with little pop.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm calling a spade a spade here. Glad he's gone. He's a better fit on an AL team where he can be an emergency option and solid defensively at all positions but never have to PH and theoretically never step foot on the diamond.

 

Ya, I'm really surprised at the love for Perez here. His hitting stats are terrible and his approach at the plate is even worse. He seemed at least average defensively at any spot you put him, which is worth something, but overall just a bad baseball player.

 

Even for as pointless as the "Brewer Wall of Fame" or whatever they call it is, if he makes it it will take away whatever significance that thing has. Might as well put Hank the Dog and the Happy Youngster up there too.

[djoctagone]

bear in mind that rosters expand to 26 next season, with a probable cap of 13 for pitchers. perez has a shot.

[wildcat2237]

Good riddens. Counsel will not be tempted to overplay this bum.

 

I just hope this time he really is gone for good.

[MadScientist]

I'm calling a spade a spade here. Glad he's gone. He's a better fit on an AL team where he can be an emergency option and solid defensively at all positions but never have to PH and theoretically never step foot on the diamond.

 

Ya, I'm really surprised at the love for Perez here. His hitting stats are terrible and his approach at the plate is even worse. He seemed at least average defensively at any spot you put him, which is worth something, but overall just a bad baseball player.

 

Even for as pointless as the "Brewer Wall of Fame" or whatever they call it is, if he makes it it will take away whatever significance that thing has. Might as well put Hank the Dog and the Happy Youngster up there too.

Probably because many of us have been around long enough to have endured utility players such as Jeff Bianchi, Caesar Izturius or even a starter with the initials YB. Perez was never great, but he played lots of positions credibly and at least initially hit better than some of the brewers previous utility players.

 

That said, he has steadily declined the last three years and it's time for the Brewers to see if they can do better.

[Outlander]

The Brewers Wall of Honor is a set criteria so unless your name is K-Rod there is no will he or won't he make it. Perez doesn't meet the set criteria.

[Lathund]

bear in mind that rosters expand to 26 next season, with a probable cap of 13 for pitchers. perez has a shot.

 

At the same time though, that increased roster size reduces the need for a super utility guy. With a 4 (sometimes 5) man bench, having one player there who could play all over was sometimes necessary to cover all bases. With a 5-6 man bench that's not as necessary. Since you can split the positions you need to cover between more players, you can focus more on the hitting ability of your bench players.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if he still got a shot somewhere, but I don't think the rosters are a big plus.

[stalton]

I'm beginning to think the Sandlot video is cursed. Of the 9 players in it, we are now down to 3. Just Chase, Yeli, and Hader.

[JosephC]

IMO the extra roster spot really hurts a player like Perez. With the 13 pitcher/12 bat configuration, those teams mainly had to play with a 2 catcher, 6 infielder, 4 outfielder setup, which left them one outfielder short. Perez actually had a pretty good glove as both an infielder and outfielder, so he was ideal as the 12th guy on the bench because he was both a decent 6th infielder and 5th outfielder. Now that all teams will be forced to carry 13 bats at all times, almost everybody will have the ability to find a better bat, or at least a bat with more upside, to serve as the team's fifth outfielder.

[Thurston Fluff]

A 26 man roster could help as much as hurt guys like Perez. Teams can afford to keep a versatile, glove first guy on the bench because they don't need him a a PH as much. Teams could use guys like him for defense later in games. Every team's circumstance is different and every team is going to use that extra spot for different purposes. Overall I really don't see how adding 30 more major league spots hurts any bench type player. If he can't get a job it won't be because there are 30 more openings.

[MNBrew]

When we first got Hernan Perez, he wasn't very good. Then he kinda turned into something, esp. with a little power, solid defense, and excellent speed.

 

Nowadays he hardly steals, doesn't hit much, his defense is solid enough, and his power's been pretty elusive. High on the character charts, too, but 1-for-4 on the on-field stuff is enough for me to wish him well wherever he lands next.

[liveforoctober]

A 26 man roster could help as much as hurt guys like Perez. Teams can afford to keep a versatile, glove first guy on the bench because they don't need him a a PH as much. Teams could use guys like him for defense later in games. Every team's circumstance is different and every team is going to use that extra spot for different purposes. Overall I really don't see how adding 30 more major league spots hurts any bench type player. If he can't get a job it won't be because there are 30 more openings.

 

The 26th man gives someone like Keon Broxton a chance at a ML job next year. Elite defense + pinch running becomes a viable year long bench piece I think?

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Not sure why anything other than another pitcher would be utilized for the 26th spot. We've all seen what they're able to do with additional pitchers. The Brewers will still need a versatile, multi-position bench. I just think they've just given up on Perez's bat.