Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Blake Perkins recently had his jersey retired at his alma mater, Verrado High School.
In the 20th anniversary year of the school’s opening, Verrado honored Perkins before the Vipers’ game against Sunrise Mountain. Friends, family members and former alumni attended the ceremony to support the Brewers center fielder.
“It was not expected, but it is greatly appreciated,” Perkins said. “A lot of these people I haven’t really seen for a long time, so for them to take the time out of their day to come here and support me, it means a lot.”
Perkins was presented with a framed Verrado High School jersey bearing the No. 12 on the field. His high school number was also unveiled in center field, where he played during his prep career.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Perkins said. “I hoped that it would happen one day, and for it to be reality now, I can’t thank the people here enough.”
Following the celebration, Perkins threw out the first pitch before the game and drew on his pitching experience from high school.
“I see first pitches all the time, and honestly I just didn’t want to bounce it,” Perkins said. “It was way high and outside, but I did that plenty in high school.”
Among those attending the ceremony was Perkins’ high school coach, Jim Shields. Shields coached the Vipers from 2008 to 2016 and worked closely with Perkins during the three years he played varsity baseball.
During that time, the Vipers finished with a region record of 34-4 and an overall record of 69-17.
“Coach Shields always let me be myself,” Perkins said. “He knew that I had some potential to give and he got that out of me.”
Perkins began his high school baseball career in 2012, playing varsity for the Verrado Vipers as a center fielder and pitcher. In 86 games with the Vipers, Perkins posted a career batting average of .470 with a .603 on-base percentage, 119 hits and 97 runs batted in.
Friends, family members and alumni gather to watch Blake Perkins’ jersey retirement ceremony at Verrado High School.
(Jimmy Van Wickler/Submitted)
His best season came in 2013-14, when he recorded career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, RBIs and home runs.
“We worked hard here,” Perkins said. “I’m lucky to have had the experience here that I did and to be where I’m at now.”
After his final season with the Vipers, Perkins was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 2015 MLB Draft, where he was selected No. 69 overall.
Perkins later spent time in the minor leagues with the Nationals, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees organizations before joining the Brewers, where he made his major league debut April 19, 2023.
In his first three seasons with Milwaukee, Perkins posted a .232 batting average with a .314 on-base percentage, along with 158 hits and 82 RBIs.
Perkins said lessons he learned at Verrado still guide him today.
“I was taught how to be a good teammate to the people around me and that helps me now,” Perkins said. “It is still who I am to this day and that’s kind of one of the keys to being a good man.”