A Look at Geraldo Perdomo's Growth as a Leader and Player

The switch-hitting shortstop has been limited to mainly just facing right-handed pitchers with just 69 plate appearances this year against left-handed pitching. He has a .588 OPS against left-handed arms but has a .755 OPS against right-handed pitchers over 410 plate appearances. Perdomo has been critical to the team's success as when the team wins in his appearances, he's hitting .290/.392/.435/.827 while he has an OPS of just .629 in losses.

The Diamondbacks have used him mainly at either leadoff or in the nine-hole of the batting lineup. The results have been quite encouraging, especially out of the nine-hole. While his base-line numbers look uneven with a batting line of .222/.330/.381/.711 when hitting last, there's more to that story.

Quite often, Perdomo finds himself leading off an inning out of the nine-spot. When he leads off an inning, he is hitting .295/.397/.375. He consistently turns the lineup over to the top and gives them a runner on base to attempt to drive in.

One other excellent attribute that Perdomo has been critical to the D-backs' success this year has been his ability to hit with runners in scoring position. Often this year, the D-backs as a team would struggle with runners on base. The batter that never struggled was Perdomo. With runners in scoring position or RISP, he has hit .326/.431/.554/.985. He has 13 extra-base hits and 43 RBI. He has walked 16 times to striking out just 14 times. This highlights his ability to put the ball in play consistently. As one knows, when you put the ball in play often, good things often happen.

Geraldo Perdomo has also been one of the Diamondbacks' best clutch hitters when the game is late. In the 9th inning this season, he is hitting .333 with a .997 OPS. In high-leverage situations, he's hitting .309/.434/.427/.860. He never is afraid of when the lights shine brightest.

Nor is he afraid of being a leader for his team. Last year, he was the rookie. This year, he's become the leader of the defense serving as the captain of the infield. Manager Lovullo has put a lot of pressure on him and he's impressed. Lovullo spoke about the kind of pressure that he has put on him this season, especially about his on-field leadership beyond the sort of whimsical, always-happy/eager attitude that you see on the TV or in the dugout often.

"I couldn't be more pleased with his development in all areas. Of course, he's continuing to learn about his game offensively and defensively, but emotionally, he is right where he needs to be. I expect the experience to help him get better year by year but I put a lot on him. I put a lot on him as the shortstop of our ballclub. If I complain to one infielder, it's going to be him. If I complain to the group, I'm going to be talking to him. I have certain demands of him and I'm very critical of him. He's accepted that responsibility and I appreciate that. I feel like he's gotten better every single game. There is a fun-lovingness to him, but don't let that get mixed up with his competitiveness. He is spot-on and ready to go every single day. We wouldn't be where we are without Gerry. That's 100% how I feel and he's just going to get better."

However, Perdomo has taken that pressure and ran with it. He spoke about that pressure below.

"He just likes to train me to be a better player. I feel like he knows and realizes what I can do and what I am going to become in the future. He's preparing my mentality for the future. That's why I love Torey. He treats me like his son. He doesn't treat me like a player, no, he treats me like he's family. That's why I try to take all that he gives to me every single day. Every single day he has to say something to me. Even on the field or off the field, he has to say something to me. That's why I really appreciate everything he does for me. Like I said, it's weird when he doesn't say anything to me. Like he gotta say something to me. I remember two years ago, I told him, just be open with me, be natural, be you. That's why he and [Jeff] Bannister, I love those guys. I love all the coaches too but those guys are like always there. [Dave] McKay and TP [Tony Perezchica] are always like there because they are preparing me for the future."

If you have watched enough Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games, you'll often notice that every time there is a mound visit, especially the ones not involving Pitching Coach Brent Strom, Perdomo is often very vocal to the pitcher. Sometimes, he will call the mound visit himself, talk to the pitcher, and help his pitcher navigate whatever the circumstance is. You'll see that he's usually the last one to leave the mound.

One of the pitchers best equipped to talk about that and share his insights on how Perdomo has grown as a leader and player is Merrill Kelly. He's a veteran pitcher who has experienced playing with Perdomo since he first arrived back in 2021. He had this to say about how Perdomo has performed this season, especially about his leadership qualities as a young pitcher and how he handles himself in mound visits and as a shortstop behind him.

"He's definitely grown a lot, obviously the numbers showed last year kinda where he was at. It was good he got that full year under his belt even though the results definitely weren't where he wants them to be. But it's good to see him kind of take that on the chin and kind of grind out that year. I think a lot of that has led to what he's doing now. He's never been shy. He definitely brings a lot of energy and I think that comes from his personality and being on the younger side as well. It's kind of turned into contagious. He brings a good energy in the dugout, makes sure to cheer on everybody. Then obviously the growth on the field and in the box has been fun to watch."

Another key observer of Perdomo's growth as a ballplayer comes from a player who has only played a couple of months with him. However, the veteran ballplayer has experienced playing with plenty of shortstops over the years and has been around many young players. So, how did Perdomo shine or impress Jace Peterson as he got used to his D-backs team? How has Perdomo shown Peterson his leadership ability from the shortstop position?

"I think he's a really good player. Being really young and coming over and establishing himself in the game this year and doing what he's done. He's had a great year and he's a great player. I think his future's super bright. I think his work ethic is always going to be there. He's always working, taking ground balls, hitting in the cage, and trying to improve his game. I feel like other guys come in and see that a young guy doing that already is big. It's something that translates when other guys come in and see that, they're not going to be sitting down and doing nothing when the young guy is out there taking ground balls. That's something that he does a really good job of and continuing to work and get better and not being complacent."

How about from the man himself? Geraldo Perdomo gives his thoughts on how he feels about growing into a leadership role.

"Honestly, I feel very good. Thank God for blessing me. We have a lot of young guys like me. The youngest that has the most service is me. I feel like I just try to tell everybody that no matter what, just have fun, and enjoy what you're doing. Because not many guys have the opportunity that we have over here. For me, it's not like a leader, it's like approach everyone like a family. Because when the family is together, they can do more stuff together. They can do more stuff together. We can have fun and enjoy what we're doing. That's why I try to share that mentality to all of my teammates."

Perdomo went on about how he reacted when Jace Peterson was traded to the D-backs after facing him last year plus about how he views the D-backs as a family.

"Like I said, we have a lot of guys that are the best like Corbin, Alek. A lot of those guys have a really good mentality. They're really good kids. For me, I enjoy being with those two. Everybody here is like we are together. Honestly, Tommy Pham came two months ago and he's been amazing. Like Jace, I played against him last year and I was talking to him a lot. When he got traded here, I remember, he told me like "Oh we finally get to play today", and I said finally, thank God. Like he's a really good man. That's the kind of teammate I want to have around me."