Pérez's second go with the Rangers? A career year

ARLINGTON -- When Martín Pérez signed a one-year deal with the Rangers during Spring Training, he had a good feeling about what was to come.

“If they give me the chance to pitch every five days, something good is going to happen,” Pérez recalled.

Something good did happen for the 31-year-old lefty. Pérez’s 2022 season came to its conclusion on Monday after he tossed six innings with one run allowed in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees at Globe Life Field, lowering his ERA to a career-best 2.89 over 196 1/3 innings.

Pérez finished 2 1/3 innings shy of his career high in 2016 (198 2/3) and one win shy of his career best in ‘17 (13), while also logging a personal best in strikeouts (169)

It’s just the 12th time a Rangers pitcher has ended a season with a qualifying ERA below 3.00, and he joins Yu Darvish in 2013 as the only Texas starters to have a sub-3.00 ERA with at least 195 innings.

“It’s been a really good year for him,” said interim manager Tony Beasley. “He’s taken the ball just about every turn and given us quality innings and given us a chance to win just about every game he's been involved in. It's a testament to him and the work he's put in and his ability to execute pitches, to be able to minimize damage. It's been a complete package of just solid pitching, and he kind of looked like the art of pitching. It's been fun to watch him pitch.”

Early in the season, the focus on Pérez was how he had changed since his first stint with the Rangers from 2012-18. The club’s former top prospect was full of potential that was never quite realized by the time he left the club.

For Pérez, his maturity and ability to stop the bleeding if and when he gets into tough situations has defined his second stint, as he’s become the most stable part of the Rangers’ rotation in 2022.

After reaching 10 years of service time earlier this season and earning his first career All-Star bid, Pérez desperately wanted to prove that his first half wasn’t a fluke. While he didn’t quite match his pre-All-Star Game ERA of 2.68, he earned a 3.16 afterwards, proving he was a different pitcher than in the past.

“I have the talent, and I have the pitches,” Pérez said. “I know how to pitch, and I just had to keep strong and get zeros on the board, because like I said, I'm just going to give good moments to my teammates and try to win the game. But I was not expecting this. It was not easy, because there have been a lot of downs. But I try to be positive and try to have fun with my teammates. … I’m just really happy with my season.”

While Pérez’s performance on the field has been game-changing, his leadership off the field has been vital for the Rangers’ group of young pitchers on the staff.

Beasley said during the Rangers’ series in Anaheim last weekend that rookie Cole Ragans “follows Pérez around,” asking questions and learning about what it takes to be a big leaguer.

For Pérez, he sees it as a sort of pay-it-forward after guys like Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Cole Hamels did the same for him when he was a younger pitcher.

“He’s constantly talking to the guys about pitching and worth ethic and mindset, with just how to approach a game and approach situations,” Beasley said. “Ragans kind of mimicked some of the things that Martín does. … He's been a mentor for him, and he has just been a positive in the clubhouse overall.

“He's a leader and he takes care of things. He sends the right messages and has the right conversations with players. He's definitely been a plus for the pitching staff.”