Eddie Pérez #12

After concluding a 20-year playing career in 2006, Eddie Perez opened a new chapter in his baseball life in 2007. He joined the Braves' coaching staff as the bullpen coach after playing 11 seasons at the major league level, including nine seasons with the Braves. Perez played 18 of his 20 professional seasons in the Braves organization. The former catcher began his career with Bradenton in 1987 and reached the majors in 1995, the year Atlanta won the World Series. Perez was on seven postseason squads for Atlanta (1995-99, 2001, 2004) and played in 30 postseason games. His .464 (13-for-28) batting average in National League Championship Series competition is the highest ever for a catcher (minimum 25 at-bats). Perez batted .500 (10-for-20) in the 1999 NLCS vs. the New York Mets and claimed series MVP honors. Perez spent the 2002 season with the Cleveland Indians and played with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 before re-joining the Braves in 2004. Right shoulder tendinitis plagued Perez throughout the 2005 season, and he spent the entire 2006 campaign at Double-A Mississippi. He was limited to just 13 games in 2006, but spent much of his time assisting M-Braves Manager Jeff Blauser. Perez attended Doctor Raul Cuenca High School in Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela, where he played volleyball and baseball. He and his wife, Marisol, have one daughter, Maried, and one son, Andres Eduardo, and reside in Duluth, Ga.

2005

Appeared in just 16 games because of a troublesome right shoulder...Enjoyed a two-hit game against the Nationals on April 11...Homered in a 16-0 win over the Astros on May 8...Received a standing ovation from his teammates before his Sept. 27 pinch-hit appearance.

2004

Played in 74 games and made 42 starts behind the plate...Nailed 34% (11-of-32) of attempted base stealers, the second-highest percentage of his career...Came in to play first base on 5/29 at PHI in place of the injured Adam LaRoche. It was Eddie's first appearance at 1B since 6/20/99 at ARI...Posted a .314 (11-for-35) batting average in the month of August...Went 4-for-5 with two homers and three RBI on 8/8 at ARI. It marked his first HRs since 9/19/03 vs. ARI and it was his fourth career multi-homer game (first since 8/16/99 at COL). It was also his first four-hit game since 1999...Had his fourth two-hit game on 8/14 vs. STL, including a double...Snapped an 0-for-14 spell by going 4-for-4 with a 2B, HR and two RBI on 9/12 vs. MON...Batted .379 (11-for-29) with one home run over his last 10 games.

2003

Established career bests in games played (107), at bats (350), hits (95), home runs (11) and runs batted in (45) while with Milwaukee; equaled career marks in doubles (17) and triples (1)...Homered in each of his first 2 games, including Opening Day at Busch Stadium on March 31...Drove in career best 5 runs on May 6 at Chicago...Belted first grand slam of season, second of career, May 28 at SD off Carlton Loewer...Hit first game-winning home run of his career and the first of the season for Milwaukee May 17 vs Cin...Batted .333 (22 x 66) with 4 home runs and 17 RBI during May and .327 (16 x 49) with 2 homers and 12 RBI in June...Hit safely in season-high 6 games June 18-28...Had success against lefthanders, hitting .342 (26-76) with 2 home runs and 11 RBI...Batted .421 (16 x 38) with 2 home runs and 14 RBI with runners in scoring position and 2 outs...Threw out 20.8% (16 of 17) of runners attempting to steal.

2002

Spent his first season in the American League with the Cleveland Indians...Posted a .214 batting average with nine doubles and four RBI in 42 games with the Tribe...Posted four multi-hit games including going 5-for-9 in his first two games with Cleveland...Hit .304 (7-for-23) in eight May games with a .407 on-base percentage...Reached safely in all seven May games that he had a plate appearance.

2001

Made first start Oct. 6 vs. Florida since May 3, 2000, at LA and got his first hit of the season...Recalled from injury rehab and reinstated from DL Sept. 1...Had missed all of season and all but 7 games in 2000 with a torn right rotator cuff...Hit .342 with 4 homers and 5 RBI over 10 games in a rehab assignment with AA Greenville the last 2 weeks in August.

2000

Appeared in only 7 games before being lost for season with a right rotator cuff injury...Placed on the 15-day D.L. May 5 with a sore right shoulder, and was transferred to the 60-day D.L. May 6...Underwent successful surgery to repair torn right rotator cuff May 8, performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde in Atlanta.

1999

Took over the role as starter when Javy Lopez went down in July and started a career high 86 games...Set career highs in games (104), at-bats (309), runs (30), hits (77), doubles (17) and home runs (7)...Had a career high-tying 4 RBI September 27 at Montreal and August 16 at Colorado...Had a four-hit game July 17 at NYY and a career-best five-hit game April 18 at Colorado...Previous career high was a three-hit performance...NYM series June 25-27: 6 x 11, .545, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI...Had a 7-game hitting streak (10 x 27, .370), with 3 HR and 7 RBI June 29-July 5...Had two 3-run HRs over 3 games (June 30 at Mtl and July 2 at Mets) after not having a longball until then...Caught all 33 of Greg Maddux's starts this season...Threw out 29% of would be base stealers 21 of 72...Went 0 x 6 as a pinch hitter...Hit all of his home runs and got 21 of his 30 RBI on the road...Hit .288 (49 x 170) on the road while only .201 (28 x 139) at Turner Field.

1998

Swung an aggresive bat, posting a career-high .336 average along with career highs in doubles (12), RBI (32) and hits (50)...His 6th HR of season of season at Florida on 9/22 was the Braves 208th of the season, breaking the franchise mark of 207 set in 1966...Stole the first base of his Major League career in same game, it was his 208th career game...Had 16 hits in his last 33 at-bats (.485) with 3 HR and 10 RBI...Productive against both righties and lefties; went 15x49 (.306) vs. LHP and .350 (35x100) with 5 HR and 25 RBI vs. RHP...Among team leaders with RISP at .357 (15x42) striking out only 6 times...Hhit .500 (10x20) with runners on third (drove in 13 of 24) and was 3x6 with the bases loaded driving six of 14...Hit safely in 8 of 14 at-bats and had 11 RBI with RISP...Batted .353 (42 x 119) in last 36 starts...Started 39 games overall...Caught 32 of Greg Maddux's 34 starts after catching 31 of 33 in 1997...2-HR game 5/15 at Hou was 2nd of career (other 5/31/96 at Cin)...Had a career-high 8-game hitting streak (11 x 30, .367, 3 HR, 9 RBI) 5/11-6/12...Hit over .400 in three months of the season: September (.441, 11x25), August (.412, 7x17) and April (.417, 10x24)...Allowed two passed balls, committed two errors and threw out would be base stealers at a .273 rate (12 of 44)...Went 2x8 with 1 RBI as a pinch-hitter...Played 8 games at first, committing 1 error and turning 1 double play.

1997

Started a career high 52 games behind the plate and caught 31 of Greg Maddux's 33 starts...Hit his first career grand slam September 16 to highlight Braves' 6-4 win over Giants...His 4 RBI that game established a career high...Went 8 x 11 (.727) in 3 games May 30-June 1 vs. SF...Started the season 1 x 25 (.040) and was 19-for-last-108 (.176), but went 21 x 58 (.362) between May 12-June 27...Threw out 15 of 62 base runners (.242)...Allowed 2 passed balls...Was .128 (6 x 47) with RISP...Started one game at first base.

1996

Filled in effectively as No. 2 catcher, starting 37 games, 16 coming when Maddux was on the mound...Maddux carried a 1.89 ERA in 114.0 IP with Perez behind the plate...Left Aug. 29 game at Pittsburgh early with torn right quad muscle, placed on the D.L. the following day until Sep. 14...Of his 40 hits, 14 went for extra bases (4 HR, 9 2B, 1 3B)...Threw out seven-of-26 (26.9 percent) would be base stealers...Started two games at first base.

1995

Recalled by Atlanta from AAA Richmond August 30 and reported August 31... His first big league hit was a two-run home run off Reds' Mike Jackson September 15 at Cincinnati... Braves pitchers allowed only two earned runs in Perez's first two M.L. starts behind the plate (18.0 innings)... Selected to the International League AAA All-Star team... While at Richmond, threw out 38-of-98 would-be base stealers (.388)... Led I.L. catchers in total chances (615), putouts (539) and assists (69)... Underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during the off-season.