Delvin Pérez has a dream opportunity on his hands

Carolina. Since he was a child, Delvin Perez has been a fan of the New York Yankees, including, of course, Hall of Fame shortstop, retired Derek Jeter.

Now, at 24 years old, he could have in his hands the possibility of defending the short field that his hero defended in the team he has always followed. He sounds almost perfect.

“I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity with the Yankees. Obviously, they are looking for a siore and I feel extremely ready to play the position. I’m putting my hand every day to get ready, have a good impression and feel comfortable with me in the siore,” said Pérez, who is currently active in the final series of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC) with the Giants of Carolina.

Pérez, a product of the Ceiba International Baseball Academy, was selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft with pick no. 23 for the St. Louis Cardinals. He served with them until the 2022 campaign, when he reached the AAA level with the organization, but was not promoted to the big team although he came to be ranked as one of the best prospects in baseball.

After six seasons in seven years with the Cardinals organization, Pérez opted for free agency at the end of 2022 and thus a call arose from the Yankees, who offered him a minor league contract and have not yet indicated at what level. will be.

“I don’t have many words to say about St. Louis,” he said. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me. But I am sure that God’s plans are perfect. We will continue on the march believing in God and moving forward.

About his time with the Cardinals, he said that “if so many years have passed and we didn’t see anything there, there were no opportunities, because there was nothing else to talk about. We had to look for new airs”.

The Yankees used Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop in 2022, and he is expected to battle to maintain his position against rookie Oswald Peraza, who debuted last year, and promising prospect Anthony Volpe, who like Pérez , played in AA and AAA last season.

With a bit of luck, and hard work, Pérez would also be in the fray if the Yankees give him the chance.

Pérez is not invited to the major league camp, but he does not rule out that the exposure in Spring Training will give him the opportunity to show what he can do. And if not, an assignment to the AAA team would place him one step away from finally making his Major League debut with his favorite team.

“I know the opportunity is there, but I don’t trust myself. I’m not ‘laid back’ as they say. You have to put your hand in. I am new to that team and I have to make a good impression so that they feel confident that I can play the position”, he stated.

So while he’s still unclear on the Yankees’ intentions, his plans are to arrive on spring fields extremely prepared.

“The decisions are theirs. So far they have told me to arrive ready and they welcomed me to the team, but they did not say anything about the fact that I was going to play in the big leagues or anything, ”he commented.

“It is not to put pressure on one, but that is my dream since I was little. The Yankees have always been my team, and thinking about Derek Jeter and filling that spot he left behind would be more than an honor for me. With the favor of God, I understand that it could be like this, ”he concluded.