Brewers get last laugh on their 'Gordon Gekko'

PHOENIX -- Most prospects experiencing big league camp for the first time simply like to blend in and hope to not draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.
That was not possible for Brewers right-hander Jon Perrin on Tuesday, thanks to several of his prankster teammates.
Currently, Perrin identifies as a professional pitcher, a title he hopes to carry for years to come. But he also has a side job/hobby -- this past offseason, he became a licensed investment adviser, and he spends many of the wee morning hours on his laptop, tracking the stock market.
Unsurprisingly, this did not go unnoticed by select veteran Brewers players, who decided to help the 24-year-old budding prospect feel more ... comfortable in his surroundings.
So they built him a makeshift office, right at the head of the clubhouse.
"Walk-ins are welcome," Perrin quipped.
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The setup included everything a young investment adviser would need to get started. First, an office sign, to attract potential clients: "J. Perrin Investment Grp. Open: M-F; 7-9."
An oversized calculator sat on one side of the desk. On the other, a large phone and the Money section of USA Today. Next to the phone was a container of pens, and, of course, a three-hole punch, because what type of modern-day financial genius can live without that?
Think "Wall Street," circa 1987.
"This does kind of look like a Gordon Gekko situation," Perrin observed.
If the first trick to making it in the big leagues is simply having raw athletic ability, the second has to be possessing an ability to laugh at oneself. As Perrin works to refine his craft on the mound, he, without question, has the humor part down pat. It helps to be in on the joke.
"I'm kind of a nerd," he said. "If you couldn't tell by the glasses."
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To be sure, Perrin isn't your garden-variety ballplayer. Soon after graduating from Oklahoma State University, he took the LSAT and was accepted into the University of Kansas Law School. That test score will be valid until 2021, which gives Perrin a fallback option in case his baseball career doesn't pan out.
This past offseason, he passed the Series 65 exam to become a licensed professional in investment advising, which accomplished two things: It gave him clearance to advise a small group of clients that includes family members, and it gave him something to do in his free time to curb the boredom.
Most people would just go watch Netflix.
"A couple years ago when I got into pro ball, I was trying to learn about investing, Just getting out of college and trying to figure out what's going on in the world," he said. "It slowly just snowballed."

That snowball has rolled right into the Brewers' clubhouse. Perrin's makeshift office was all in fun, but perhaps there's a little truth to every joke. Some of Perrin's teammates would probably, in an honest moment, cop to having taken stock market advice from the youngster at one time or another.
Brent Suter, for example.
"His thing's Procter and Gamble," Perrin said. "Every day, it's 'Where's P&G at? Where's P&G at?'"
Guilty as charged.
"He's a really smart kid," Suter said. "He's really doing stuff. Good for him. It was kind of a fun joke, but I'm not exactly kidding when I ask him about stocks. I do ask them how they're doing."
And now, Perrin can simply say to teammates, "Step into my office."
"He brings his laptop to meals, so a couple guys got together and decided we needed to give him his own space over there, his own little office," Suter said. "It looks like he's really taken to it."