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Eury Perez Perfect Dominates Sunday, a Player to Buy in the Second Half

Miami Marlins 23-year-old right-hander Eury Perez had one of his best outings in his young MLB career on Sunday, throwing seven shutout innings, allowing no runs and no hits, racking up eight strikeouts, and not allowing a single base runner.

Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough decided to pull Perez after seven perfect innings, in what was a very questionable managerial move by him. Neither here nor there, Perez put together an outstanding outing, and he deserves his flowers; let’s dive into it. 

The Marlins played on the road against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, which is known as one of the most, if not the most, hitter-friendly ballparks in MLB. Perez didn't care. He racked up 12 whiffs on four different pitches and had a solid 23 percent CSW (Called Strike Plus Whiff rate). He was consistently in the zone, throwing 61 percent first pitch strikes, and only allowed four hard-hit balls (any batted ball with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) on the afternoon.

On the season, Perez has underperformed by fantasy managers' standards, with a 5-6 record, 3.84 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings pitched. Since returning to the rotation on June 24, after he suffered a thigh injury against the Blue Jays on May 27, he has started three games, allowed two earned runs, five hits, four walks, and 17 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

Before this start, most of his ERA estimators supported his struggles, with a 4.69 xERA, 4.77 FIP, and 3.98 SIERA. That being said, that is surely all to improve after this phenomenal start. He still owns an impressive 13.7 percent SwStr percentage and a 26.1 CSW percentage (prior to this start), which are all metrics that back up his swing-and-miss ability and showcase his high ceiling.

When you look at his arsenal, Perez leans heavily on his four-seamer (47.2 percent), and for good reason; it's elite. It averages 98.1 mph (94th percentile), has 17 inches of IVB (Induced Vertical Break), and he is holding opponents to a .215 batting average (.207 xBA) with his four-seamer. His slider, sweeper, and changeup are more of his putaway pitches, evidenced by their whiff rates on those pitches (33.3%,42%, and 43.1%, respectively).

When you look at his profile as a whole, it screams massive upside, evidenced by his .220 xBA, 29 percent whiff rate, 26.8 percent strikeout rate, and 6.7 feet of extension. He has just struggled a bit this season with his command (10.6 percent walk rate and 92 Location+), but even with poor control, he still has a 1.10 WHIP, showcasing that if he can demonstrate better command, he has the upside to be a top-25 pitcher. His walk rate in 2023 and 2025 (his first two seasons) was 8.3 percent and 98 Location+, and I expect regression to those career numbers. While it’s still not elite control, it’s enough when you have the stuff that he does (117 Stuff+). 

It may be difficult to buy low on Perez after this start, but if someone is willing to sell him after this start because they want to wipe their hands clean of his slugish 2026 campaign, you should look to capitalize on that, as Perez has league-winning upside in the second half.

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