Franklin Eduardo Pérez Montoya (born December 6, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional

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for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

Career

Houston Astros

Pérez signed with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

as an international free agent in July 2014. He made his professional debut in 2015 with the

Dominican Summer League Astros The Dominican Summer League Astros, or DSL Astros, is a minor league baseball team of the Dominican Summer League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From 2014 ...

and was promoted to the Gulf Coast Astros later that season. He posted a combined 1–4 record and 4.50 ERA in 50 innings pitched between both teams. He pitched 2016 with the Quad Cities River Bandits where he went 3–3 with a 2.84 ERA in 66.2 innings. He began 2017 with the

Buies Creek Astros The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to 201 ...

and after pitching to a 4–2 record and 2.98 ERA was promoted to the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

in July where he posted a 3.09 ERA in 32 innings.

Detroit Tigers

On August 31, 2017, the Astros traded Pérez to the Detroit Tigers, along with

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and Daz Cameron, for

Justin Verlander Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and New York M ...

. The Tigers assigned him to the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

but he did not play for them in 2017. Prior to the 2018 season, he was rated as the Tigers top prospect and one of the top prospects in the minors overall. Due to a recurrence of a lat injury he suffered in 2017, Perez played in just seven games between the

Gulf Coast Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home game ...

and the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

in 2018. In those seven games, he went 0–2 with a 6.52 ERA in 19 innings. The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. Perez appeared in just two games for Lakeland in 2019 due to chronic shoulder injuries. Pérez did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Pérez was added to the Tigers’ 60-man player pool for the 2020 season but did not play in a major league game, instead playing the season at the alternate training site. On May 11, 2021, it was announced that Pérez would undergo surgery on his pitching shoulder, putting him out for “awhile”. The next day, Pérez was placed on waivers by Detroit. On May 14, Pérez re-signed with the Tigers organization on a minor league contract. In 2022, he returned to action, making 10 starts for the rookie–level Florida Complex League Tigers, and struggling to a 9.59 ERA with 18 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2023, he made 10 appearances split between the FCL Tigers and Lakeland, posting a cumulative 6.89 ERA with 7 strikeouts in innings of work. On August 4, 2023, Pérez was released by the Tigers organization.

Gary SouthShore RailCats

On February 9, 2024, Pérez signed with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the

. In 15 games (4 starts) for Gary, he struggled to an 0–4 record and 9.45 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (15) across innings pitched.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Franklin 1997 births Living people Baseball players from Valencia, Venezuela Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball players Gulf Coast Astros players Quad Cities River Bandits players Buies Creek Astros players Corpus Christi Hooks players Gulf Coast Tigers players Lakeland Flying Tigers players