"He's one of my and the coaches' favorites," Leyland said at the end of spring camp in Florida. "We think he's really going to be a good big league player. He's got a good feel for things at a young age (22 last month). He's got a great idea of how to hit."

Perez is off to a promising start for Double-A Erie. He's batting .342 (13 for 38) with one home run, five doubles and six RBI in nine games. He also has a .375 on-base percentage and four stolen bases.

"There's nothing about him that you would say is a glaring weakness," Erie manager Chris Cron said, "but he will, at times, swing at some bad pitches. I think his defense will be fine wherever he plays. He is a very solid defensive player. The challenge is stepping into that batter's box, seeing better pitching (Double-A) day in and day out, making subtle adjustments here and there."