Eddie PerezFILE

Perez longs for more starts

Web posted March 19, 1998

By Bill Zack
Morris News Service

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- For two years, Eddie Perez's greatest claim to fame has been working every fifth day with a future Hall of Fame pitcher.

It's nice duty, but he figures there's more to life in the major leagues than being Greg Maddux's personal catcher.

``I don't know what it feels like to play every day,'' the Atlanta Braves backup catcher said. ``My goal is to catch every day in the big leagues and see what I can do.''

It doesn't appear Perez will receive that opportunity anytime soon. Stuck behind Javy Lopez, he expected to be selected by Tampa Bay or Arizona in November's expansion draft and when he wasn't he admits to feeling somewhat disappointed. He would have hated leaving the Braves, the organization that signed him as a free agent in 1986, but a chance to play regularly would have been worth it.

So, Perez is aligned with Maddux again, Lopez handling the four other starters, and chances are he won't receive 200 at-bats this season.

``I wish I caught two guys, but I know Javy needs to catch,'' Perez said. ``They're going to put Javy in there more than any other year because of his contract. I'm going to get my chance someday.''

Lopez makes $3.75 million; Perez is paid $225,000. Who do you think is going to catch 90 percent of the games?

Perez would make it easier for manager Bobby Cox to give him more starts if he improved his offensive numbers. He hit .256 in his rookie season in 1996, then saw his average sink to .215 last year, though his home runs jumped to six and he drove in 18 runs in 191 at-bats.

Disappointed with his numbers, Perez went to work this winter on straightening out his stroke and Cox has seen a vast improvement this spring.

``He's probably been swinging the bat better than anybody in camp, as far as line drives and line drive outs,'' Cox said. ``He's had a terrific spring.''

Perez has hit .281 in 12 games with a pair of homers and five RBI, more than 100 points higher than Lopez and with more power. Even so, he knows his role won't change. He caught 31 of Maddux's 33 starts last year and figures the percentage will remain unchanged.

Although Maddux works primarily with Perez during the regular season, Lopez takes over in the postseason. It's a delicate subject for the four-time Cy Young winner, who says he enjoys working with both catchers, but clearly is a superior pitcher with Perez behind the plate.

With veteran Charlie O'Brien and now Perez as his catchers, Maddux has a career record of 89-33 as a Brave, the highest winning percentage based on 100 decisions in franchise history. O'Brien and Perez are cut from the same mold. Each is considered a thinking man's catcher who puts game-calling and defense ahead of his offense. That's perfect for Maddux, the ultimate thinking man's pitcher.

``Eddie remembers things,'' Maddux said. ``If you ask him to do something, you don't have to ask him again the next week or the next month. If you ask him to set up at a certain place at a certain time, he remembers it. He has a feel for what the hitter is trying to do at the plate. You know how a pitcher gets into a rhythm? He doesn't disrupt that. I think that's huge.''

Perez, a native of Venezuela, has a innate feel for the art of catching. Most fans aren't aware of the intricacies of the position or the demands that Maddux the perfectionist places on his receiver, but Perez makes it all appear as natural as breathing.

Take, for instance, something as simple as giving a sign. Maddux likes to get ready, look up and have Perez prepared with a sign. Many other catchers would be chatting with the hitter or talking to the umpire or adjusting their equipment, but Perez is always ready.

``It's such a little thing, but it goes a long way toward making me feel comfortable,'' Maddux said. ``That's something good catchers are aware of. I'm sure it's a lot harder catching me than me throwing to him. I expect certain things.''

Most times the pair agree on pitch selection, but when they don't, Maddux wants to hear Perez's argument. If a television camera catches them in the dugout huddled together between innings, it's usually a lively discussion on why Maddux wanted to throw a fastball, when Perez called for a changeup.

``I like a catcher to second-guess me,'' Maddux said. ``That means he's in the game with me. I'll tell him why I threw it, then hopefully he'll tell me why I was wrong and we'll argue about it. He wants every pitch to be good and that's what I want too. That's hard to find in a catcher.''