The White Sox are expected to add former Houston Astros prospect Joe Perez. However, according to Astros beat writer Javier Gonzalez, despite being drafted as a position player, Perez will join the White Sox organization looking to become a pitcher,
The Astros selected Perez in the second round of the 2017 draft. Within a year he was considered the 14th-best prospect in their farm system. In six minor league seasons, he slashed .264/.336/.431. He has appeared in just one MLB game, striking out in his lone plate appearance for the Astros in 2022.
Now Perez wants to test his luck as a pitcher. something that he excelled at in high school. As a high school senior Perez could touch 98 mph with his fastball. Scouts also praised him for his above-average slider. But after coming down with shoulder soreness weeks before the draft, he was informed he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery.
The surgery didn’t scare away the Astros, who paid him $1.6 million to be a third baseman. Given his arms stretch and raw power, he showed while helping lead Archbishop McCarthy High School to three state championships, he figured to be a good fit in the hot corner.
At the time of the pick, many scouts figured that he would have pitching to fall back on. Now after spending the 2024 season playing independent ball Atlantic League’s York Revolution, the 25-year-old will be looking to do just that.
