One of the things I have spoken about in regards to Perez for the last few years, is the lack of coaching he had on the Pirates. And I am not talking about the pitching coach in Pittsburgh, because I know nothing about him. For all I know he is the best coach in the history of baseball.
When Perez was on the Pirates, he was in his early 20's, and had just completed one of the best seasons a 23 year old could ask for. He led the league in K/9, was near the top in ERA, and had the likes of Barry Bonds and Chipper Jones singing his praises. I don't know about you - but when I was 23 - I didn't listen well to authority figures.
What Perez needed, was exactly what he didn't have. He went into 2005 as the ace of the staff at 24. He was the veteran - pitching with the Snell, Fogg, and Wells, and the rookies. (Snell was a rookie then too.) His mechanics and work ethic suffered. His mental game fell apart. He needed guidance, and beyond the coaching staff - he had no one to give it to him.
Fast forward a year and a half. Perez is given up on by the Pirates, and was basically a throw in contained in a deal for Roberto Hernandez to get the deal done. The Pirates wanted to shed payroll in Bert, and get a promising young outfielder in Xavier Nady. The Mets desperately needed a reliever to fill in for the injured Duaner Sanchez.
Oliver was now in an environment with the likes of Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, and Orlando Hernandez to help mentor him to better things.
Now he gets to hear the input of another great Hispanic pitcher with Johan Santana. Both are lefty, and have great stuff.
I really do think that this will bode real well for Ollie in 2008 and beyond!
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