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Fernando Perez: Poet, Outfielder, Unemployed

The Rays 2004 7th round draft pick, Fernando Perez, is out of a job.

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Perez, an accomplished poet and avid blogger, was traded to the Cubs earlier this year as a part of the Matt Garza trade. In 2010, he struggled to find his rhythm hitting in the minors and failed to earn a call up as he did in 2008 and 2009. His hitting woes carried over to this season, as he sported a .240/.311/.340 slash through 280 plate appearances in Iowa.

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Then, last week, the Cubs released Perez -- which seems like a curious move for an organization hurting for depth. Fortunately for Perez, his rough season appeared on the rebound. After suffering through an atrocious month of May (212/.250/.353), he put together an improved June (.298/.333/.372) and solid, though short, July (.273/.333/.636 in several games).

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Perez is perhaps most known for his roles in this most excellent satire:

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It is unlikely the Rays would find themselves interested in Perez at this point. He is 28 years old; he has one and a half straight, poor seasons; and he would likely be starved for playing time in the Rays' rich minors.

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However, if the recent call up of Brandon Guyer sticks and the Rays do not send likes of Justin Ruggiano down, Perez may be an acceptable low-risk, medium-reward candidate.

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Nonetheless, I wish him only good things.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.