Blue Jays Top Prospect Fernando Perez Named Northwest League Pitcher of Week

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Fernando Perez would like your attention.

Perez, who is playing in the same system with highly talented prospects like Trey Yesavage, Ricky Tiedemann and Jake Bloss, was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week for his performance from July 28-Aug. 3 for the High-A Vancouver Canadians.

Perez shouldn’t be overlooked. The 21-year-old right-hander is the No. 11 prospect in the system, per MLB Pipeline.

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Why Fernando Perez Won the Midwest League Award

Perez had a terrific week, as he started two games during a series with Tri-City and threw 11 shutout innings.

It’s the first time he has been honored with a weekly distinction since earning two in the span of three weeks for the FCL Blue Jays in 2023.

He made his first start on Tuesday and threw five scoreless innings in a no-decision. He struck out three, walked none and allowed three hits. But he took it up a notch in his start on Sunday.

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In that game, Perez took a perfect game into the fifth inning before it was broken up. He put together his fourth quality start of the campaign, as he matched his season high with seven strikeouts.

He has now pitched 20 straight innings without allowing a walk.

About Fernando Perez

Perez was signed as an international free agent out of Nicaragua in 2022. This is his first year at High-A and he is 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA in 19 starts. He has 76 strikeouts and 19 walks in 87.1 innings. He has already set a career high for innings pitched in a season.

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For his minor league career, he is 12-12 with a 3.60 ERA in 59 games (58 starts). He has 267 strikeouts and 60 walks in 262.2 innings.

Perez is coming off his best month of the season in July as he posted a 1.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts against four walks in 18.2 innings. He has lowered his ERA by three points since the end of April.

Vancouver’s Top Prospects

Other Top 30 prospects at Vancouver include the organization’s No. 1 prospect, shortstop Arjun Nimmala, the franchise’s first-round pick in 2023 who won’t turn 20 years old until after the season. There is also pitcher Gage Stanifer, catcher Edward Duran, third baseman Sean Keys, second baseman/outfielder Adrian Pinto and second baseman Sam Shaw.

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He is the eighth Vancouver player to earn a league award this season, joining Javen Coleman, Nick Goodwin, Nimmala, Victor Arias, Pinto and Eddie Micheletti as a weekly honoree and Khal Stephen as pitcher of the month for June.

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