Baltimore Orioles hire Koby Perez as Director of International Scouting

The Baltimore Orioles have officially hired Koby Perez as their new Senior Director of International Scouting

The Baltimore Orioles have filled one of the open positions in the front office, naming Koby Perez as their new Senior Director of International Scouting.

Perez has spent the past five years with the Indians, the last three of which he spent serving as their Director of Baseball Operations in Latin America.

In a statement made earlier today, Mike Elias called the hire “a major step in improving our footing in Latin America”. The Orioles have long been without a real presence in the international market, and hiring someone with Perez’s background is a big leap forward for the Orioles.

Perez is a native of the Dominican Republic and grew up in New Jersey. His playing career stalled out in the low minors; he spent two seasons as a catcher and first baseman with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox before playing three years in the independent leagues.

Perez worked as an area scout in the Northeast with the Cardinals from 2006-2008 where he was credited with signing Adam Ottavino and Mitch Harris.

Perez joined the Phillies as an international scout in 2009. From ’09-2013 with the Phillies, Perez primarily spent his time working in the Dominican Republic and is credited with signing Maikel Franco, Hector Neris, Lisalverto Bonilla, and Domingo Santana, among others.

After the 2013 season, Perez was hired by the Indians as an international cross-checker and served in the role for two seasons. Prior to the 2016 season, Perez was promoted to be the Indians new Director of Baseball Ops in Latin America.

Elias stated that the Orioles “have found the right person to spearhead the Orioles’ new international presence”, and that Perez’s expertise will “immediately elevate our our capabilities in this critical market”. Elias is right; Perez’s experience scouting in Latin America will dramatically improve the Orioles ability to evaluate and sign international prospects, something they’ve never had the ability to do.

As Elias stated, “We will continue to augment our operation until the Baltimore Orioles are leaders in recruiting and developing international players”. The Perez hire should help get the Orioles on par with the rest of Major League Baseball, in that regard.

The Orioles under Dan Duquette were notoriously inept working the international market. Scouting and signing international players is an integral part of building a successful, sustainable major league organization and it’s something that desperately needed improvement in Baltimore.