A familiar face from 2016, Luis Perdomo is one of the several pitchers vying for the final spots in the Padres 2017 rotation. Perdomo was acquired in December of 2015, from the Rockies. As a rookie, Perdomo made 20 starts, despite having never pitched above the Single-A level. With 146.2 innings Luis led all Padres starters in innings pitched for 2016. I find Perdomo to be an extremely exciting pitcher, despite being relatively undeveloped and achieving mixed rookie results. The biggest question mark regarding this season is whether or not he will snag an MLB slot. Despite there being a lot of competition for starting spots this spring, I find Perdomo to be a young and exciting option, and really hope to see him in the 2017 rotation.

About Luis: Luis David Perdomo was born in Santa Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. He is a 6’2, 185 lb., and will turn 24 on May 9th of this year. Before he became a pitcher, Perdomo played third base but moved to the mound after having difficulty at the plate. In 2010, Luis began his professional baseball career with the Cardinals as an international free agent. As a Cardinal, Luis held a 4.10 ERA, with 270 strikeouts in 61 minor league starts. In 2015, Perdomo appeared in the MLB Futures game, allowing 0 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Perdomo was traded to the Padres after the Rockies snagged him in the 1015 Rule 5 draft.

Fun Fact – Luis is actually not the first Luis Perdomo to pitch for the Padres. In 2009, Luis M. Perdomo, now 32, made his MLB debut for the Padres, appearing in 36 games over the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Career: In 2016, Perdomo definitely had his ups and downs. His season ERA was 5.71, and he struck out 105 batters. If you look at the overall numbers, it would seem easy to write him off, but there were definitely some notable moments. Perdomo surrendered less than 4 earned runs in 10 of his last 15 starts in 2016, while throwing a 1-run complete game against the Marlins in August. Luis throws 4 pitches and primarily relies on his sinker. He also throws a fastball, a curveball, and a splitter.

2017 Outlook: For the Padres, the 2017 rotation definitely seems to be a weak spot on an admittedly rebuilding team. Luis Perdomo has tons of potential and is just 23 years old. In the first half of 2016, he had a 7.48 ERA, but managed to post a much-improved 4.30 ERA in the second half. For a pitcher with only A-ball experience to show steady improvement through his first MLB season is definitely an encouraging sign. Alongside his improving ERA, Perdomo was also 2nd best in ground ball percentage according to Fangraphs. These indicators point to a great possibility for improvement and can be coupled with a 2017 Spring Training ERA of just 2.87. I am not typically one to over-emphasize Spring Training stats, but in this case, I feel like history and other metrics can support this trend. Perdomo is under team control until 2022, and will only make $544,300 this year. With the Padres several years away from contention, having a high-upside arm like Perdomo continuing to develop is a definitely plus. I would absolutely love to see him spend 2017 in the starting rotation, as well as for many years to come. We may not see an ace-like breakout this year, but Luis Perdomo is definitely a young Padre to keep an eye on.