Wenceel Perez represents hope for better days in Detroit baseball in a few different ways. The young shortstop was one in a series of signings that heralded a shift toward greater investment in the international free agent market. Perez stands out as the first wave of what appears to be a stronger international talent base than we’ve seen in a long time.
He also stands out because of his two-way skills at a crucial position. The Tigers have numerous other shortstop prospects, but no one who looks likely to be a quality major league regular. Perez is a long way from the show and still raw, but he represents the best balance and depth of skills at the key positional weakness in the Tigers’ rebuilding effort.