Zenny
06-07-2004, 06:31 PM
By no means are the Dodgers out of the NL West race, so Odalis Perez seems likely to remain with his current team for the time being. But, the young left-hander is a free-agent once the season is over and he would reportedly love to pitch in Boston.
Here are some quotes that my good buddy from NetSports, Steve, enlightened us with the other day:
From the LA Times:
want to pitch at Fenway because I haven't pitched there yet and I think it would be fun," Perez said. "It would be very nice to pitch in all the stadiums in baseball. The tradition there is good and I want to pitch there."
The move also puts Perez (3-3) on schedule to pitch June 16 against the Baltimore Orioles, meaning the left-hander would miss the Dodgers' first regular-season series against the New York Yankees the following weekend at Dodger Stadium.
"I don't think there's any difference between the teams," Perez said of the Yankees and Red Sox. "They're two good teams."
But does Boston excite Perez more than Toronto?
"Of course," he said. "It's a good-hitting team."
Perez said his request was not an indication that he was asking to become the Dodgers' ace, "because Nomo's a good pitcher, Weaver's the same way. I just want to have the opportunity to pitch every five days no matter what. I'm not going to go there and say I'm the ace."
Perez said Fenway's Green Monster, the towering left-field wall that has inflated the earned-run averages of many left-handed pitchers, did not intimidate him.
"If you keep the ball down, if you pitch with command, it doesn't matter if it's 240 [feet] to the left-field wall," he said.
From a 2002 SI Article about the connection between Sox pitching coach Dave Wallace and Perez:
And give credit to Dodgers executive and pitching guru Dave Wallace, who is as valuable to that franchise as scout Gene Michael is to the Yankees. Wallace pushed for Los Angeles to trade for Odalis Perez and to ignore opportunities to deal Eric Gagne. Wallace also deserves credit for Hideo Nomo getting the bite back in his forkball.
There are a couple of factors going into this. First, we snagged Dave Wallace from the Dodger organization. It was D-Dub that taught Perez to truly pitch and got consistency and control from Perez. I'm sure that Perez knows this and he could take his game to the next level if re-united with his former mentor. Second, the Dominican factor. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are here for at least three more years. Pedro Martinez may also be in Boston for another three (maybe). Third, he's not scared of the Monster. Any lefty with the balls to stand up to the Monster should at least get the opportunity to pitch here for a little while.
I like Perez. He wouldn't be rediculously expensive and would be great in Fenway if he can get consistent control, like he has done this season.
Here are some quotes that my good buddy from NetSports, Steve, enlightened us with the other day:
From the LA Times:
want to pitch at Fenway because I haven't pitched there yet and I think it would be fun," Perez said. "It would be very nice to pitch in all the stadiums in baseball. The tradition there is good and I want to pitch there."
The move also puts Perez (3-3) on schedule to pitch June 16 against the Baltimore Orioles, meaning the left-hander would miss the Dodgers' first regular-season series against the New York Yankees the following weekend at Dodger Stadium.
"I don't think there's any difference between the teams," Perez said of the Yankees and Red Sox. "They're two good teams."
But does Boston excite Perez more than Toronto?
"Of course," he said. "It's a good-hitting team."
Perez said his request was not an indication that he was asking to become the Dodgers' ace, "because Nomo's a good pitcher, Weaver's the same way. I just want to have the opportunity to pitch every five days no matter what. I'm not going to go there and say I'm the ace."
Perez said Fenway's Green Monster, the towering left-field wall that has inflated the earned-run averages of many left-handed pitchers, did not intimidate him.
"If you keep the ball down, if you pitch with command, it doesn't matter if it's 240 [feet] to the left-field wall," he said.
From a 2002 SI Article about the connection between Sox pitching coach Dave Wallace and Perez:
And give credit to Dodgers executive and pitching guru Dave Wallace, who is as valuable to that franchise as scout Gene Michael is to the Yankees. Wallace pushed for Los Angeles to trade for Odalis Perez and to ignore opportunities to deal Eric Gagne. Wallace also deserves credit for Hideo Nomo getting the bite back in his forkball.
There are a couple of factors going into this. First, we snagged Dave Wallace from the Dodger organization. It was D-Dub that taught Perez to truly pitch and got consistency and control from Perez. I'm sure that Perez knows this and he could take his game to the next level if re-united with his former mentor. Second, the Dominican factor. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are here for at least three more years. Pedro Martinez may also be in Boston for another three (maybe). Third, he's not scared of the Monster. Any lefty with the balls to stand up to the Monster should at least get the opportunity to pitch here for a little while.
I like Perez. He wouldn't be rediculously expensive and would be great in Fenway if he can get consistent control, like he has done this season.