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Late last night Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reported that the Houston Astros will promote left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez to the major leagues:
Sources: The Astros are calling up lefthander Cionel Perez from Double-A Corpus Christi to fill the active roster spot created by Carlos Correa's pending DL placement.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) June 29, 2018
Perez is one of the brighter lights blazing in the deep firmament of the Astros farm system. He ranked sixth on the pre-season Houston Astros Top 20 Prospects for 2018 list with this comment:
6) Cionel Perez, LHP, Grade B: Age 21, signed out of Cuba in 2016, posted combined 4.13 ERA with 83/27 K/BB in 94 innings between Low-A, High-A, and Double-A; scouting reports are better than the numbers, focusing on low-90s fastball, both curveball and change-up flash plus; I think his general “throw strikes” control is ahead of his “hit spots” specific command but a breakthrough in 2018 seems plausible; durability the main concern. ETA 2019.
His performance for Double-A Corpus Christi accelerated the timetable. In 57 innings over 10 starts and four relief appearances, he’s posted a 2.20 ERA with a 71/21 K/BB and just 47 hits allowed.
Reports from the Texas League indicate that his fastball has kicked up a bit, timed as high as 96, and he’s added a nice slider to go with his curveball and change-up. Obviously the statistics are good. The main concern is durability, as he’s just 5-11, 170 plus there have been some concerns in the past about his elbow.
Assuming good health he profiles as a number three starter down the line.