Inside story: How Cleveland Indians found Roberto Perez -- Terry Pluto
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
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on October 27, 2016 at 2:55 PM, updated October 27, 2016 at 8:41 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Think about this number -- 1,011.
Now, put that number next to your name.
In the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, Roberto Perez was picked by the Cleveland Indians in the 33rd round.
That's doesn't sound awful.
But the Tribe's catcher was the 1,011th player picked in that 2008 draft.
So that means more than 1,000 names were called before Perez was selected out of Lake City (Florida) Community College.
"It's an amazing story to see Roberto in the World Series," said Mike Soper.
Soper is the scout who signed Perez. He's the scout who first saw Perez as a high school player in Puerto Rico. And he's the scout who followed him to Lake City, a rather nondescript junior college baseball program.
"It was Mike who really wanted us to take Roberto," said Brad Grant, the Tribe's scouting director. "When you come to those low rounds, you have a list of names. You have your scouts with you. And you kind of look them in the eye and see how strongly they feel and believe in their player."
Soper is primarily known as the scout who signed Francisco Lindor.
Lindor was the No. 8 pick in the 2011 draft, so he was hardly a secret. I wrote a story about Soper's scouting of Lindor, which began when the All-Star shortstop was only 15 years old.
The Indians had to make a major decision between Lindor and Javier Baez in that 2011 draft. Soper liked both, but pushed for Lindor.
The Indians went with Lindor. Selecting right behind the Tribe at No. 9, the Chicago Cubs called the name of Baez. He is their starting second baseman.
But there was no drama like that when it came to Perez.
STRANGE DRAFT STUFF
In 2008, there were 46 players considered to be first-rounders. There are the standard 30 picks (one for each team), plus additional "sandwich picks," also considered to be first-rounders.
The Tribe's first-round pick in 2008 was Lonnie Chisenhall, their starting right fielder.
Perez has played in 160 Major League regular season games.
Now get this: There are 10 different non-pitchers in those first 46 picks who have played fewer Major League games than Perez.
That's right, TEN!
And that includes Tim Beckham, the No. 1 player in the draft. He is a career .238 hitter who has played in 151 games for Tampa Bay.
As Grant and Soper told me, this is what makes the baseball draft so unique.
Here are some facts about that 2008 draft:
1. Of those first 46 picks, 80 percent reached the Majors.
2. In the second round, only 54 percent reached the Majors.
3. In the 33rd round, Tribe pitcher Shawn Armstrong also was picked. He was selected by Houston, but didn't sign. The Tribe picked him in the 18th round of the 2011 draft.
4. Besides Perez, the only other player signed out of the 33rd round in 2008 to reach the Majors was part-time outfielder Dan Robertson, who has appeared in 116 games.
5. Besides Perez, the only other 2008 Tribe picks (who signed with the team) to reach the Majors are: Chisenhall (No. 29), Cord Phelps (No. 107), Zack Putnam (No. 171), Matt Langwell (No. 351) and T.J. House (No. 501).
6. So Perez was the third-best player selected by the Tribe in that 50-round draft. Chisenhall would be ahead of him. So would Zack Putnam (10-6, 3.36 ERA), a reliever for the Chicago White Sox.
SCOUTING PEREZ
Soper first spotted Perez in Puerto Rico as a high school junior.
"I liked his catching skills and his arm," said Soper. "He did show some power."
There was some concern the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Perez would have weight problems.
"I know Manny Estrada (a Los Angeles Dodgers scout) liked him, too," said Soper. "They drafted him (in the 29th round in 2006), but he didn't sign."
Tom Clark (now a Cubs scout) was the coach at Lake City C.C.
"He would go to Puerto Rico to find players," said Soper. "He recruited Perez."
For a while, Soper lost track of Perez. He was scouting a junior college game. Then he spotted the kid catcher from Puerto Rico who'd once intrigued him.
He began following Perez and mentioned him to Scott Barnsby, a "cross checker." The cross checker becomes a second-set of eyes on players.
"Scott and I were at a doubleheader where Roberto's team was playing," said Soper. "Between games, we talked to three Lake City pitchers. They all raved about how Roberto was the best catcher they had ever thrown to. They really liked him as a person, too."
The coaching staff also praised the character of Perez.
As a sophomore, Perez had a big year for Lake City -- batting .374 with 15 homers in 52 games.
It would seem Perez should have been a higher draft pick. But Lake City was not a program that produced a lot of big leaguers.
In fact, after the 2008 season -- the school dropped its athletic programs. In 2010, the school was renamed Florida Gateway College and brought back athletics.
There still were concerns about Perez becoming too heavy. And there are times when scouts just miss players.
MAKE THE PICK!
Soper was hopeful the Tribe would pick Perez. He was projected as a backup big league catcher, assuming things went well.
"You always are looking for catchers," said Grant. The 2008 draft was his first as the Tribe's Scouting Director. He had been with the Indians since 1994, starting as an intern.
Soper kept pushing for Perez.
"After about 30 rounds, I was nervous we'd lose him," said the scout.
Grant had not seen him play. The scouting director can't be everywhere. His focus is on the players in the top rounds of the draft. After that, he has to trust his scouts.
In the 33rd round, they picked Perez.
"Then I was concerned we weren't going to be able to sign him," said Grant.
More than big league teams missed on Perez, so did the major colleges.
"He was being recruited hard by Cumberland," said Grant. "I remember that. And we had only $10,000 available to sign him."
Cumberland University is an NAIA powerhouse in Lebanon, Tenn. Wood Hunt has coached there for 35 years. It was a viable option.
"In the end, Roberto wanted to play pro ball," said Soper. "So we eventually got him signed."
But that wasn't until August 11, 2008. So Perez had to wait until 2009 to start his pro career.
His bonus was the $10,000.
COMING UP THE HARD WAY
When a player is picked in the 33rd round and has a small bonus, he has to show something soon.
Perez did that, batting .351 in 34 games in the Arizona Rookie League in 2009.
After that, Perez stumbled as a hitter. He batted .217, .225, .215 from 2010-12 in the Tribe's minor league system.
"From the beginning, Roberto could catch and throw," said Grant. "He worked so hard. He always cared about his pitchers."
In 2013, Perez suffered from Bell's Palsy, a facial paralysis.
"He couldn't close one of his eyes," said Soper. "He had trouble sleeping. It was so tough for him, but he hung in there."
Grant said catching means a lot of dirt and sweat goes into your eyes -- and the palsy caused extra problems for Perez when that happened.
Perez batted .176 in 67 games at Class AAA in 2013 as he battled Bell's Palsy.
In 2014, it went away. He hit .305 at Columbus and was called up to the Tribe in July.
Now, he's starting in the World Series. He has hit three homers in the postseason.
As a catcher, his powerful arm is well-known. He has allowed only one stolen base in the postseason.
He threw out 11-of-24 (46 percent) stealing base runners during the regular season. Anything above 25 percent is excellent.
Hitting will probably always be a challenge for Perez, who has a career .220 average (.674 OPS) with 11 HR in 160 big league games.
"What he has done is a tribute to Roberto's tenacity and dedication," said Grant. "We are so proud of him. He has overcome so much to get here. It's a great story."
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