The Toronto Blue Jays made three selections in the Rule 5 draft, and one of their picks in the Triple-A phase was a former top prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Blue Jays selected outfielder Hedbert Perez with the 27th pick in the first round of the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Perez is 22 years old and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo after the move, per his MLB transactions log. He has played in five minor league seasons for the Brewers and reached Double-A last season.
He has a .224/.300/.397 career slash line in the minor leagues. He has 44 home runs and was the Brewers’ No. 20 prospect in 2023, per MLB Pipeline. The Brewers already have a stacked outfield and better outfield prospects ahead of him in the minor leagues. It makes sense that they did not protect him.
He signed with the Brewers during the 2019-2020 international signing period. His $700,000 signing bonus was the second-highest handed out by the Brewers that year. In 2020, he was the No. 8 prospect in the Brewers organization.
In 88 games last season, he hit 14 home runs. It was one of his better seasons. Perhaps a change of scenery could lead to more production. Additionally, he may have a clearer path to the big leagues if he starts to produce. Given all of the Brewers’ outfield talent, there was no real way for him to get on the field, even with injuries.
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