San Diego Padres: Luis Perdomo is at a Crossroads

After Saturday’s stinker of an outing, the San Diego Padres are faced with a tough reality concerning someone who they expected to be a key cog in the rotation.

Luis Perdomo came into Peoria knowing full well he had to impress in order to secure a spot in the San Diego Padres’ starting rotation. After a mediocre spring that had it’s own peaks and valleys, he was given a spot in the starting five, if only based on the potential the young man shows.

On Saturday, Perdomo was largely ineffective in his first start of the young Friars’ season. Over four innings of work, the 24-year-old right-hander allowed five earned runs on seven hits, walking three yet striking out seven. Enigmatic, indeed.

Over 15.2 innings this spring, Perdomo didn’t quite impress. His 5.74 earned-run average, 1.60 WHIP, and eight bases-on-balls were right on par with his career statistics, as per baseball-reference.com. His 15 strikeouts, though, showed just how good Perdomo could be one day.

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San Diego Padres know how good Perdomo can be

After the game, as per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Andy Green had this to say about Perdomo and his potential, “It’s time for him to go… I’m not going to get into how much leash he has. We believe in Luis’ upside. It’s just time to go.”

Green’s assessment of the young righty speaks volumes, even in its brevity. He’s shown flashes of being a dominant pitcher at times. Usually, bad innings are mostly his own doing.

Whether it be too many walks or balls being left over the heart of the plate, simple efforts to rectify these issues could transform Perdomo into a young beast.

Green also had this to say, again, from Acee’s article, “He’s got it… It’s two years on the roster. It’s just one outing, and it wasn’t a great outing, but it’s time for him to go. It’s time for him to step up and attack. The challenge is there out in front of him.”

Next: Padres Look Ahead to the Rockies

Short, sweet, and to the point. Your move, Luis.