After a dominant start to the 2023 Minor League season, Marlins pitching prospect Eury Perez is headed to Miami. The Miami Marlins announced that the 20-year-old will make his Major League debut this weekend against the Reds, just two years after the phenom made his pro debut in the Florida State League. Here’s a closer look at what Perez has to offer.

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A Look at Perez

Marlins pitching prospect Eury Perez became a name to watch in 2021, when the then-18-year-old made his pro debut during the return to play that year. Between Jupiter (A) and Beloit (A+), Perez struck out 108 batters over 78 innings and posted an impressive 1.96 ERA along the way.

Perez got hit around a bit more last year, but he still missed plenty of bats. As a teenager, Perez struck out 106 batters over 75 innings with Pensacola. The 20-year-old’s continued to be a strikeout machine for the Marlins in 2023, as he put down 42 batters over 31 innings via the strikeout with the Blue Wahoos.

So, what makes Perez such a dominant prospect? The 6’8” Perez can inundate opposing hitters with a hard fastball that can hit the triple digits, along with arguably the best changeup present in the Minors. A power fastball/changeup combo — the former of which can be quite the intimidating pitch with extension taken into account — has led to comparisons to fellow Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara, although Perez has the potential to get more whiffs and strikeouts than the Miami ace. On top of those two weapons, Perez also owns two above-average potential breaking balls.

Perez is the consensus top prospect in the Marlins system, and part of a very young pitching staff that will also include Sixto Sanchez and Max Meyer once those two return to the mound.

A Look at the Marlins Rotation

Pitching was expected to be a strength this season for the Marlins, but it hasn’t been easy thus far. Johnny Cueto hit the IL after his first start of the season, and 2021 All-Star Trevor Rogers followed him after four starts. Edward Cabrera‘s shown explosive stuff, but has struggled with command. Then there’s 2022 NL Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara, who’s looked better of late but a tough start has led his ERA to sit at 4.53.

Perez will be tasked with giving the Marlins quality innings, and he does have the stuff to do it. However, the task of Perez sticking in the Majors won’t be an easy one.

Besides the impending return of Sixto Sanchez — which is reportedly likely during the second half of the 2023 season — to the Marlins, the 20-year-old will need to deal with the growing pains of being a Major Leaguer. Several young starters have already made their debuts this spring, but to mixed results. Bryce Miller looks electric for the M’s, while Gavin Stone and Brandon Pfaadt both sputtered. We’ll see if Perez can succeed in a relatively soft matchup on May 12 against the Reds.