 01/07/2004 3:22 PM ET
Shortstop Perez a hit in Dominican
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| Shortstop Neifi Perez earned a Gold Glove in 2000 when he was a member of the Rockies. (Eric Risberg/AP)
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Neifi Perez will be -- knock on wood -- the starting shortstop for San Francisco this season.
But there's the rub. If there is a knock on Perez, it's his batwork, with the 30-year-old veteran's average dropping the past two seasons to all-time lows at .256 in 2003 and .236 in 2002. Perez had averaged .282 during parts of six seasons with Colorado, from 1997-2001, before a trade to Kansas City.
General manager Brian Sabean says due to the departure of All-Star Rich Aurilia, the shortstop position is still a "work in progress," with Perez and perhaps Cody Ransom fighting for the starter's role, and that bringing in another candidate is a strong possibility.
Perez, however, is a Gold Glove infielder with magic hands and a ballet danseur's feet, and it's apparent from his Winter League play with the Escogido Lions in his native Dominican Republic that the eight-year veteran is determined to show San Francisco his offensive game has been rejuvenated.
Neifi Perez
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In 29 games for Escogido, Perez is batting .315 with two homers, 14 RBIs, a .426 slugging percentage, .368 on-base percentage and six doubles.
Perez started only 70 games for the Giants last season, batting .254 with 22 runs and 22 RBIs while filling in at second base and shortstop, and playing on a regular basis could be the key to his success.
His slugging percentage is third best with Escogido.
Perez continues excellent play in the field, showing off his sleight-of-hand tricks with hard-hit baseballs that earned his the nickname "Perron" among admiring youngster emulating his play. "Perron" essentially means "hot dog" in Spanish.
Unfortunately, Leones del Escogido is sitting in the cellar in the six-team league with a 15-35 record.
Perez could be traded, but it makes more sense for the Giants to keep him, as he boasts a strong arm, batted .296 as a pinch-hitter and was especially solid on the road, batting .285 in 179 at-bats.
And despite his overall average, Perez hit .361 with six doubles, a triple and seven RBIs filling in for the injured Ray Durham from May 11-26.
Rich Draper is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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