Blake Perkins
Perkins in 2022 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 16
Outfielder
Born: (1996-09-10) September 10, 1996
Kansas City, MO, U.S.
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 2023, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.217
Home runs4
Runs batted in20
Teams

Blake Alexander Perkins (born September 10, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Career

Washington Nationals

Perkins attended Verrado High School in Buckeye, Arizona. The Washington Nationals drafted Perkins in the second round, with the 69th overall selection, of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.[1] Although an Arizona State University Sun Devils commit, Perkins chose to sign with the Nationals for an $800,000 bonus.[2]

After signing, Perkins made his professional debut with the GCL Nationals where he hit .211 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 49 games. At the conclusion of his rookie season, the Nationals asked Perkins to work on becoming a switch hitter. Perkins, a natural right-handed hitter, entered his next season adjusting to the steep learning curve of hitting left-handed for the bulk of his at-bats.[3] He spent a majority of 2016 with the Auburn Doubledays, slashing .233/.318/.281 with one home run, 16 RBIs, and ten stolen bases in 59 games. He also played in seven games for the Hagerstown Suns at the end of the season.[4] In 2017, Perkins was Hagerstown's starting center fielder and usual leadoff hitter, sharing an outfield with the likes of top Nationals prospects Juan Soto and Daniel Johnson.[5] Perkins was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nationals' 11th-best prospect entering the 2018 season, in which he started the year with the Potomac Nationals.[6] Perkins batted .234 with one home run, 21 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases through 65 games at the new level.[7]

Kansas City Royals

On June 18, 2018, during the Carolina League All-Star Break, Perkins was traded to the Kansas City Royals along with Kelvin Gutiérrez and Yohanse Morel in exchange for Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera.[8] He was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 64 games for the Blue Rocks, he batted .240 with two home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.[4] He returned to the Blue Rocks to begin 2019 and was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in August. Over 122 games between both teams, he hit .224/.330/.347 with eight home runs, 34 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. Perkins did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] In 2021, Perkins returned to the Naturals, playing in 72 games and slashing .202/.319/.332 with 7 home runs, 30 RBI, and 9 stolen bases.

New York Yankees

On December 16, 2021, Perkins signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees organization.[10] After not seeing the results he wanted as a switch hitter, Perkins had decided to go back to hitting right-handed full-time. The Yankees asked him to reconsider, and Perkins entered the season committed to continuing his switch-hitting journey. [11] Perkins appeared in 101 games split between the Double-A Somerset Patriots and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, hitting a cumulative .246/.357/.456 with 15 home runs, 50 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[12]

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 23, 2022, Perkins signed a one-year, major league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.[13] Perkins was optioned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds to begin the 2023 season.[14]

On April 19, 2023, Perkins was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Garrett Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Nationals draft Blake Perkins". West Valley View. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  2. ↑ Sullivan, Ryan (July 12, 2017). "Evaluating Blake Perkins". NatsGM. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Rocks Report: Blake Perkins | 09/04/2018". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  4. 1 2 "Blake Perkins Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ Parasiliti, Bill (April 5, 2017). "With youth, speed and talent, here come the Suns". Herald-Mail. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  6. ↑ Rosenbaum, Mike (April 4, 2018). "Where Nats' Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Royals' Blake Perkins: Traded to Kansas City". CBS Sports. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ Fendrich, Howard (June 18, 2018). "Nats get RHP Kelvin Herrera from Royals for 3 minor leaguers". Fresno Bee. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  10. ↑ Adams, Steve (December 16, 2021). "Yankees, Ender Inciarte Agree To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Former top draft pick puts himself on Yankees radar with red-hot start in Somerset". Courier News. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  12. ↑ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Brewers' Blake Perkins: Signs with Crew". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  14. ↑ "Brewers' Blake Perkins: Optioned to Nashville". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  15. ↑ "Brewers' Blake Perkins: Joins Brewers roster". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
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