'Los is More: Pérez Heating Up
It didn't take too long for Carlos Pérez to pick up where he left off in 2022. After a breakout campaign in 2021, Pérez took even bigger strides in 2022 -- earning himself a taste of the big leagues. Now, as the weather begins to heat up, Pérez is heating
It didn't take too long for Carlos Pérez to pick up where he left off in 2022. After a breakout campaign in 2021, Pérez took even bigger strides in 2022 -- earning himself a taste of the big leagues. Now, as the weather begins to heat up, Pérez is heating up with his bat.
The Knights hosted the Norfolk Tides for a six-game homestand from April 25-30. Over that span, Charlotte's hard-hitting backstop brought his power swing. The Venezuelan native clocked two home runs in the series -- both coming over the final two games of the set. Even more impressive, he appeared in four of the six games and combined for seven hits over that four-game stretch.
Over his last five games -- dating back to April 23 at Louisville -- Pérez has a five-game hitting streak. Here are his eye-popping numbers over that stretch:
Carlos Pérez (April 23-30): .474 (9-for-19), 4 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .524 OBP, .842 SLG, 1.366 OPS
For the season, he is leading the team in home runs with six and is tied for third in RBI with 10. The power-hitting catcher has recorded five of his six home runs in front of the Charlotte crowd this season.
Originally signed by the White Sox as a free agent on March 14, 2014, Pérez had his first big breakout season in 2021. He hit .264 (108-for-409) with 46 runs scored, 22 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 59 runs scored and one stolen base with the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 107 games that year.
Since then, Pérez has become a key contributor to the Charlotte Knights. Last season, he was in the midst of a career year and had his contract selected by the Chicago White Sox on August 21 for his first career promotion to the majors. At the time of his promotion, he was hitting .257 (90-for-350) with 46 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs, 63 RBIs and two stolen bases in 91 games with the Knights. He was tied for the team lead in home runs, was second in RBIs and was fourth in runs scored on the Knights at the time of his promotion. In all, the 26-year-old had a remarkable 2022 season, setting new season highs in home runs (21) and RBIs (76) with the Knights.
He finished the 2022 campaign with the White Sox, appearing in seven games for the club. He even had a two-hit game (two doubles) in his last game played with the Sox on October 5 against Minnesota. The future is certainly a bright one for this talented player.