Geraldo Perdomo

Perdomo posted the second lowest wRC+ among hitters with at least 500 plate appearances last season. He was thrust into a starting role when a shoulder injury limited Nick Ahmed to just 19 games and despite struggling, Arizona decided to use the season to give Perdomo on the job training. There was hope Perdomo would carry over the prior year's second half improvement, but it failed to manifest He only fanned 20.6% of the time, but a 3rd percentile average exit velocity and a 2nd percentile Hard Hit rate cratered Perdomo's batting average and power. Still just 23-years-old, Perdomo can continue to adjust and prove he can handle major league pitching, but with top shortstop prospect Jordan Lawlar on the fast track, Perdomo may only have this season to prove his worth. Unfortunately, there is nothing on which to hang a fantasy hat. Perdomo is a track and follow, only roster-worthy in the deepest of leagues.

Perdomo was so bad in a brief cup of coffee with the big club to start the year (1-for-13) and then after a demotion to Double-A (.151/.305/.204 slash line) that he was placed on the development list and sent to the team's spring training complex to rebuild his swing and get a mental reset midseason. He was a completely different hitter when he was activated in early August, hitting .329/.414/.521 with five home runs, six steals, a 20.7 K% and an 11.2 BB% in 38 games across Double-A and Triple-A. Perdomo was rewarded with another brief stint in the majors over the final week of the season, and he hit .333 with three doubles and one triple in 24 PA. He has always been seen as a glove-first shortstop, but the fact Perdomo has never walked at less than a 12% clip and has plus speed means that he could be an intriguing fantasy option if he is a leadoff hitter and not a No. 8 or 9 hitter. Nick Ahmed is under contract through the 2023 season, but he is not making so much money that he couldn't shift to a part-time role if Perdomo looks like the superior option at some point this season or next.

Perdomo doesn't have loud tools, but he has a career .411 OBP in the minors and is a lock to stick at shortstop, so he should have a long career. His tools play up due to excellent instincts. At 6-foot-3 and with a quick, whippy bat, he could eventually tap into 20-homer power, but we haven't seen that manifest yet. The switch hitter puts more of a charge into the ball from the left side. Perdomo, a 55-grade runner, relies on long strides and good instincts to steal bases. He was 20-for-28 on SB attempts at Low-A, but was 8-for-16 in the Cal League and Arizona Fall League. His defense will keep him in the lineup, and he could be a leadoff hitter with his plate discipline and potentially plus hit tool. Perdomo was limited by a minor foot injury during fall instructs. He turned 21 this offseason and already had success at High-A and the AFL, so he should open at Double-A and could move quickly to Triple-A.

Perdomo put on a clinic at Low-A, High-A and the Arizona Fall League, all as a 19-year-old switch hitter who will stick at shortstop. He had a slow start in the cold conditions of the Midwest League, but from the start of summer (June 21) on, he hit .309/.406/.398 with an 11.7 BB% and 14.9 K% across three levels. Power is not yet a big part of his game, but he is 6-foot-3 and generates plus bat speed with his whippy swing, so the expectation is that he will be a 25-homer guy once physically mature -- there are some similarities to Didi Gregorius with regards to size, defense and power upside. An above-average runner, Perdomo was 20-for-28 on SB attempts at Low-A, but was 8-for-16 in the Cal League and AFL. He could swipe 10-15 bases in his early years. His advanced approach and hit tool have him on a fast track, but he will probably face an adjustment period at some point in his age-20 season.

Perdomo emerged in rookie/short-season leagues late enough in the season that the hype surrounding him did not fully materialize until after he played his final game. He entered the year under the radar, as he only signed for $70,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. A switch hitter whose defensive home is not set in stone, Perdomo has a projectable 6-foot-2, 184-pound frame and a whippy swing that should eventually generate 20-homer pop, primarily from the left side. He is at least a 55-grade runner and has good instincts on the bases, leading to 24 steals on 30 tries in 57 games. However, what will carry him to an everyday role in the big leagues will be his advanced approach and hit tool. He hits line drives and flyballs to all fields and logged a 44:39 K:BB in 257 PA across the AZL, Pioneer League and Northwest League. Perdomo will head to the Midwest League for his age-19 season where his stock could explode if he meets expectations.