The last year has been a growing experience for D-backs No. 7 overall prospect Geraldo Perdomo. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he has learned a new language, as well as the intricacies and skills necessary to play shortstop at the Major League level.
Despite the challenges of learning English words and sayings, there are two greetings that Perdomo’s teammates often hear, accompanied by the infielder’s signature smile.
“He will always come up to me and say, ‘Que lo que,’ which is like, ‘What’s up?’ That’s a very common greeting,” said D-backs No. 28 overall prospect Jake McCarthy, who played alongside Perdomo with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League this year. “Then there’s, ‘tranquilo,’ which is ‘chilling.’”
Although they might speak different languages and come from contrasting backgrounds, Perdomo has settled in with McCarthy and the D-backs’ farm system. In 21 Fall League games in 2019, Perdomo hit .316 and was silky smooth with the leather, as well. Perdomo registered just two errors in 69 total chances at both middle infield positions after splitting time between Class A Kane County and Class A Advanced Visalia during the regular season.
His talent at just 20 years of age hasn’t always come easy, however. Perdomo was one of the youngest players in the Fall League, yet some obstacles off the field made for some minor setbacks.
Most notably, he remembers ordering food and only pointing at the ingredients he wanted, because he wasn’t confident enough to speak the words in English.
In addition, he was given a climate shock when he played at Kane County, as the Illinois cold weather was different compared to his home country. Batting a respectable .268 in Class A, he still felt he hadn’t unlocked his maximum potential. The brisk climate bothered him, and he needed help, which prompted him to reach out to D-backs Minor League coach Travis Denker.
“At the beginning of the season in Kane County, it’s cold. I’d never experienced something like that. It was hard for me,” Perdomo said. “I also saw a lot of pitchers, and I’d jump at the ball a little bit. I wanted to stay back and stay behind the ball, but if you saw me in games, I’d jump too much on the off-speed pitches and was just off. But after working with coach Denker, I feel great. It was staying on my back foot and back leg. It’s helped me.”
Perdomo is a career .278 hitter with 49 extra-base hits since his debut in the D-backs’ system as a 17-year-old in 2017. He has also relied on the help of his Dominican teammates to help as translators. His English-speaking teammates have also tried to make things more comfortable by picking up Spanish themselves.
McCarthy is one example of that. He took eight years of Spanish in grade school, and he tries to sharpen his language skills every day.
“Perdomo speaks very fast and if we had a conversation writing things down or over text, I could understand,” McCarthy said. “But a lot of the Latin players that I have played with, they talk super fast and with slang, so it’s hard and I am still learning every day in addition to my baseball responsibilities.”
Although they come from completely different backgrounds and from various parts of the globe, the common denominator of baseball has made Perdomo feel right at home with his American teammates. As he continues his trek to the Majors, he is understandably excited to come to the ballpark every day.
“The Fall League and the rest of my season have made for a lot of experience,” Perdomo said. “It’s my first time here in the States, and things are faster. There’s a lot of really good young players and talent that’s made me work hard all the time, and I love it.”