Tomás Orlando Pérez Garcia (born December 29, 1973) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

and current batting practice pitcher for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). Pérez was a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various st ...

who throws right-handed and switch hits. As of 2019, he is an infield instructor for the

. Before landing in Philadelphia in 2000, Pérez had played for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

from 1995 to 1998, where he was selected under the provisions of the Rule 5 draft. He has also played for the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

and the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

at the MLB level. Pérez is considered to be versatile because of his ability to play all four infield positions.

Professional career

Pérez had his best year in 2003. Shifted between

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, second base,

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

, and also as an emergency

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

, Pérez was an asset off the bench. Known for throwing

shaving cream Shaving cream or shave cream is a category of cream cosmetics used for shaving preparation. The purpose of shaving cream is to soften the hair by providing lubrication. Different types of shaving creams include aerosol shaving cream (also kn ...

pies, Pérez was a popular player with both

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

and teammates alike in his six years in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Despite being signed through 2006, Pérez was released by the Phillies on April 2, 2006; he signed a contract with the

on April 6. On

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

, May 14, 2006, Perez was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a

pink bat In baseball, pink bats are limited-supply baseball bats manufactured by Louisville Slugger for use by select Major League Baseball players on Mother's Day, first introduced in 2006 in association with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. E ...

to benefit th
Breast Cancer Foundation
In 2006, he became the fourth player in Tampa Bay history to have four extra-base hits in a game, a feat that wasn't again matched by a Rays player until

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and the current general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa B ...

did in April 2011. On May 30, 2007, he was traded from the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

for Dwayne Pollok. Through 2008, Pérez was a .240 hitter with 24

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 180 RBI in 789 games. On November 22, 2007, Perez signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with the

. He was added to the 25-man roster by the end of spring training. He played 8 games in the majors for Houston and became a free agent at the end of the season. He signed with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

in March 2009 but was released by the organization a month later. On February 9, 2011 Italian baseball team Bbc Grosseto signed Tomàs Pérez to one-year contract, but he was waived on March 6 due to an elbow injury. Perez was named as the infield coach for the A advanced

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...

in the

organization for the 2018 season.

References

External links

Tomás Pérez
at Baseball Library
Tomás Pérez
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Tomas 1973 births Living people Burlington Bees players Cardenales de Lara players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Charlotte Knights players Edmonton Trappers players Gulf Coast Expos players Houston Astros players Las Vegas 51s players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Navegantes del Magallanes players Pastora de Occidente players Sportspeople from Barquisimeto Petroleros de Cabimas players Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Phillies players Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Syracuse Chiefs players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan baseball coaches Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players

Professional career

See also

References

External links