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Pedro Ciriaco and Eury Perez: Key Contributors for Braves

By Jonathan Savitske

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This season the Atlanta Braves have eschewed a power approach at the plate in favor of making consistent contact and playing small-ball to manufacture runs — and it is paying off.

John Hart’s rebuild of the club is going better than expected, and one area of the team that has been strong throughout the season is the play of the bench.

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In my mind, two key Atlanta Braves reserves that have stood out and consistently make an impact when given playing time are Pedro Ciriaco and Eury Perez. Ciriaco is a journey-man infielder, playing for a myriad of teams in the MLB during his time as a professional. He won a World Series ring in 2012 while with the Boston Red Sox. During his time in Boston, Ciriaco was a key bench contributor, batting .293 in almost 300 at-bats that season.

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Though he has drifted from team to team throughout his career, Pedro Ciriaco has played a key role for the Atlanta Braves this season. An invitee to Spring Training in March, Ciriaco initially did not make the Opening Day roster and started the season at AAA Gwinnett. Following the injury to Phil Gosselin’s thumb in early May, the organization promoted Ciriaco to the big-league club to fill the role of utility infielder.

Jun 26, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Eury Perez (14) enters the dugout prior to playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The Pirates won 3-2 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Pedro Ciriaco has played exceptionally well this year, batting .296 in 36 games played for the Atlanta Braves. What has been even more remarkable is how effective Ciriaco has been as a pinch hitter for the Braves, hitting .538 and going 7 for 13 when called upon. Those are outstanding numbers for a player asked to come off the bench cold and deliver clutch at-bat. Following an injury to Andrelton Simmons, Pedro Ciriaco also filled in for the platinum glover, providing solid defensive play in Simmons’ absence.

Ciriaco’s performance also made Phil Gosselin expendable, allowing the Atlanta Braves to trade him to the Arizona Diamondbacks last month for top pitching prospect Touki Toussaint. Gosselin was also having a solid year at the plate, batting .325 as a member of the Braves. Gosselin’s performance before his injury truly demonstrates how effective Ciriaco has been for the Atlanta Braves this season.

Another under-utilized player making an impact for the Atlanta Braves this season has been Eury Perez. A former prospect in the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees organizations, Perez is getting his first real taste of playing time this year in Atlanta. Possessing great speed on the base paths and in the outfield, the Braves promoted Perez from AAA on June 18th when the recently activated Kelly Johnson had to fill in at 1B for the injured Freddie Freeman.

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Since his call-up, Eury Perez is hitting .255 while becoming the Atlanta Braves primary left-fielder. Though he has experienced some growing pains, Perez consistently gets on base and has not been a detriment to the Braves offensively or defensively. He makes good contact with the baseball, and his speed has gives him excellent range in the outfield. It is unclear whether Perez will stay with the club after Freddie Freeman’s activation from the Disabled List, but since the Atlanta Braves’ best player went down, the team has not only remained afloat in the divisional race, but has made progress.

The Atlanta Braves’ bench play has been phenomenal this season, and it is great to see players such as Eury Perez and Pedro Ciriaco make an impact for a club that many speculated to regress this year. If the Braves can somehow make a postseason appearance, not many teams can compete with the depth of their bench. Hopefully the Atlanta Braves can stay competitive to see that pipe-dream come to fruition.

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