Maikol Pérez has signed to play with the Odgden Raptors of the Pioneer League for the upcoming season. The circuit is where young unsigned prospects can showcase their talents in search of signing with a MLB franchise in the near future. Alex Rivero is an example of this when he tore up the league in 2021 and then inked a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs the following season.
Pérez is a very interesting prospect, the 24-year-old native of Villa Clara, Cuba has a lot of tools and could be a great under-the-radar prospect for the Raptors. Pérez is a boy hood friend of Andy Martín, who was recently signed by the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon League.
The speedster gained his first experience stateside with Miami-Dade College in the 2024 season hitting .297 with five longballs and 34 runs batted in during his 54 games played with the JUCO. The outfielder also scored 49 runs and stole 18 bases over that span.
Pérez saw his first professional experience that same season in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol with the Tigres de Quintana Roo hitting .125 with two RBIs in a meager 16 at-bats, hardly enough to make a proper evaluation of his talents. With a very similar skill set to that of Martín could net Pérez similar results to that of his friend’s if signed by the proper team.
Cubans signed in the Independent Leagues:
American Association:
Yusniel Díaz OF (Lincoln)
Franny Cobos RHP (Lincoln)
Rogelio Quesada RHP (Fargo-Moorhead)
Frontier League:
Heisell Baro LHP (New England)*
Yassel Pino IF (Down East)
Juan Carlos Negret OF (Trois-Rivières)
Atlantic League:
No Cubans on rosters
Pioneer League:
Maikol Pérez OF (Ogden)
Intercounty League of Canada:
Yadian Martínez RHP (Kitchener)
Yankiel Mauri RHP (Kitchener)
Yosvani Peñalver OF (Kitchener)
Yordan Manduley IF (Kitchener)
Yunior Ibarra C (Kitchener)
Andy Vargas RHP (Kitchener)