Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown

Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 13: Fernando Perez

Fernando Perez has continued to have an upward trajectory over the past three seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays’ system.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February. As always, I’ll look at the player’s stats, what other publications have to say, as well as my own observations of the players. If you missed the 14th-ranked prospect, you can read about Sean Keys here.

Getting to know Fernando Perez…

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right

Born: February 12th, 2004

Acquired: 2022 International Free Agency

Signed to a bonus of just $10,000 during the 2022 International Free Agency period, Perez didn’t have the greatest of starts to his professional career, posting a 4.53 ERA and 3.42 FIP in 43.2 innings pitched in the Dominican Summer League that summer. There were some positives though, such as his 24.9 K% and 2.6 BB%.

It wasn’t until the 2023 season when the Nicaraguan broke out. In 49.2 innings pitched with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays, Perez posted a 2.72 ERA and 3.47 FIP in 11 outings, with a 29.2 K% and 6.2 BB%. He took a bit of a step back in 2024 once he hit the “A” affiliates, authoring a 4.06 ERA and 3.47 FIP in 82 innings pitched with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, along with a 25.8 K% and 7.2 BB%.

That said, Perez rebounded in 2025. Mainly spending his season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, the right-handed pitcher had a 3.05 ERA and 3.19 FIP across 94.1 innings pitched in 94.1 innings pitched, with a 21.8 K% and 4.9 BB%. Toward the end of the season, Perez earned a promotion to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he had a 3 ERA and 3.22 FIP in 27 innings pitched over six starts.

As Perez reached the upper-minors, his K% dropped to 17.9%, while his BB% jumped to 7.7%, which is a bit concerning given he doesn’t have any plus pitches. His fastball sits in the mid-90s thanks to a velocity tick up last season, but his best pitch is his changeup according to Fangraphs. What makes him stand above most other pitchers in the system is his above-average control, which is impressive as he only just turned 22 years old. It also gives him a high floor, rather than a high ceiling.

The 2026 season will be a big determining factor of whether he can continue to push for a spot at the backend of the Jays rotation in the coming years, or will need to become a multi-inning reliever. That said, if his fastball can take another tick up, or his secondary pitches can generate more swing and miss, there’s a legitimate middle-of-the-rotation pitcher in Perez.

Getting to know Fernando Perez…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply