DOUBLE TROUBLE

June 19, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Scrappers’ Ryan Perez is a rare ambidextrous pitcher looking to start his professional career

In the New York-Penn League, where strict pitch-count guidelines are the norm, managerial trips to the mound and calls to the bullpen are commonplace.

However, when Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager Travis Fryman heads to the mound this summer to pay a visit to Ryan Perez, fans might notice a pitching change without a change in pitchers.

Confused?

Imagine what will go through the minds of opposing batters should Perez simply switch his glove from one hand to the other and transform from a lefty to a righty.

Perez, an ambidextrous pitcher, was selected last week by the Cleveland Indians in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. The Hampshire, Ill., native just completed his junior season at Judson College (Elgin, Ill.)

“This goes back to when I was 2 or 3 years old,” Perez said. “I have five older siblings who are all right-handed, and my father is a lefty. He wanted a lefty out of the bunch. Even though I was naturally right-handed, he would always encourage me use my left side, whether it was writing, picking things up, brushing my teeth.”

“It sort of caught on, so when it came time to play baseball, I had the ability to pitch both ways. At first I was more or less trying to figure out which side worked the best, but then I grew very comfortable throwing from either side.”

In fact, Perez throws a fastball, curve ball, slider and change-up with both arms. He is capable of throwing a 94-mph fastball left-handed, and a 92-mph fastball right-handed.

In college, he was used as a left-handed starter, and worked as a right-hander out of the bullpen. And yes, there were instances where he was lifted from the game and replaced by, well, his right arm.

“The sight of me switching gloves and all of a sudden throwing with the other arm definitely catches the opposition off-guard,” Perez said. “I think at first some thought it was a gimmick, but then they see that I can be effective from both sides.”

Last year in the Cape Cod Summer League All-Star Game, Perez earned MVP honors when he worked one inning, striking out three batters. He alternated pitching arms with each batter he faced.

“It’s unusual that I would switch up like that during an inning, but I’ve done it before, especially in Little League and travel ball,” Perez said. “My coaches used to have me switch for every batter, depending on if it was a lefty or righty. We always had to check the rules to make sure it was legal.”

To simplify the transition, Perez wears a custom-made six-fingered glove which is equipped with a thumb hole at each end.

While Perez shows confidence in both of his arms, he said he believes his future favors the left side. In addition to having a slightly higher velocity as a lefty, he also perfected his left-handed skills in 2011 while recovering from Tommy John surgery which was performed on his right arm.

“It was a blessing to be ambidextrous, because that really diminished the time I had to sit out,” Perez said. “I was able to get back on the mound much quicker than if I was just a right-handed pitcher.”

Perez will be with the Scrappers when they begin their season tonight with a three-game series at West Virginia. Scrappers pitching coach Greg Hibbard is anxious to get a look at Perez’s rare skills.

“I’ve seen a pitcher do this when I was in the minor leagues, I’ve never coached an ambidextrous pitcher before,” Hibbard said. “It will be interesting to see how effective he can be, and what he has to offer from each side.”

“A part of me will be a fan, just curious at something you don’t see every day.”