Hernán Pérez

Hernán Alejandro Pérez was born in March 1991 in Villa de Cura, Venezuela. He was signed by the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent in 2007. He made slow progress through the low minors, never getting beyond High-A until he made his major league debut in early June 2012. Pérez replaced Jhonny Peralta, who went on paternity leave for a couple days. The utility infielder got his first big-league hit in his second game when he beat out a slow roller. He was sent back down after two games when Peralta returned.

Pérez appeared in just 64 games for the Tigers over the next three years while spending the rest of his time in Double-A and Triple-A before he was DFA’d by Detroit. The Brewers snapped him up immediately. Over the last four months of the 2015 season, Pérez slashed .270/.281/.365 while playing every infield position for Milwaukee.

Pérez had his best overall season in 2016, slashing .272/.302/.428 with career highs in runs scored (50), RBI (56), stolen bases (34), OPS (.730), and OPS+ (91). He hardly ever walked (4.1% BB rate) but had good speed and showed some pop. The next season was similar, with Pérez setting new highs with 112 hits, 19 doubles, 14 homers, and 20 walks.

The following year (2018), Pérez hit .253/.290/.386 over 316 at-bats and for the second straight year, played every position on the diamond except for catcher. Pérez began 2019 with Milwaukee but was DFA’d in late June after batting .235/.277/.383. He accepted a demotion to Triple-A San Antonio and performed well in 27 games, hitting five home runs and posting an OPS of .895. The Brewers recalled him in early August and finished the season with a batting line of .228/.262/.379 with eight home runs over 232 at-bats while posting a subpar OPS+ of 64. He was released after the season and was signed by the Chicago Cubs.

The 2020 season was a waste due to Covid, and Pérez was released after playing just three games. Over the next four years, Pérez played only 10 more games in the big leagues with the Washington Nationals. He also spent time in the Braves, Twins, and Reds organizations. He also spent two months at Triple-A Nashville for the Brewers and even though he slashed .357/.396/.536 over 84 at-bats, Pérez was granted his release. He played 59 games for the Kanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Since then, Pérez has played 231 games at the Triple-A level for three different organizations but never made it back to the big leagues. Pérez spent the 2024-25 winter playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. He also represented Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in 2017 and 2023.