Eddie Pérez, born Eduardo Rafael Pérez (May 4, 1968 in Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia State, Venezuela), is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the Atlanta Braves (2004-present). Previously, Pérez also played with the Braves (1995-2001), and for the Cleveland Indians (2002) and Milwaukee Brewers (2003). He bats and throws right-handed.

A long time the personal receiver for Greg Maddux in Atlanta, Pérez is a veteran defensive-oriented catcher with a good arm. He calls an excellent game and he blocks balls in the dirt very well. He is also good at going out to the mound and getting on his pitchers.

An aggressive hitter who hits the ball where it's pitched, Pérez is able to make decent contact and is hard to strikeout. He is not much of a power hitter, and he's been very tough against lefthanders thus far in his career. Versus righties, he is a little more prone to fanning, but he can still hit the ball with consistency. On the bases, he is a typical catcher; a runner who needs a hit-and-run or a bunt to get a jump on the next base.

In a ten-year career, Pérez is a .254 hitter with 38 home runs and 166 RBI in 548 games.

Awards

• National League Championship Series MVP (1999)

See also

• Players from Venezuela in MLB

External links

• Eddie Pérez at:
  • ESPN (profile and daily update) [1] (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5496) - (article) [2] (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/99play/wsfs02.htm)
  • Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers (entry) [3] (http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/list.htm)
  • Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis) [4] (http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/perezed02.shtml)