Two Major One Minor 042914

Here is the fourth Two Major One Minor segment of 2014. This is my fourth year of doing this series where I feature two Major League players and one minor league player each week. This week I am featuring Martin Perez, Jordan Lyles and Matthew Bowman.

LHP Perez is in his third season with the Texas Rangers and has started the season as their most reliable pitcher. This season he is 4-0, 1.42 ERA, 23 K, 0.92 WHIP in 38.0 IP over 5 games. His ERA currently leads the Majors as does his complete games and shut outs of two a piece. He wasn't a dominating pitcher in the minors but part of that was due to the fact he was so young at each level. He made his MLB debut at only 21 and just turned 23 on April 4th. Perez originally signed with the Rangers in 2007 as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela. 

RHP Lyles is another young pitcher that is starting to blossom this season. So far this season he is 3-0, 2.93 ERA, 18 K, 1.11 WHIP in 30.2 IP over 5 games. The change of scenery has done wonders so far after starting his career with the Astros. Lyles struggled as a young pitcher who made his debut at 20 and took his lumps compiling three losing seasons with the Astros. While he didn't rack up the wins in the minors either he did establish that he could put the ball past the batter on a regular basis as he averaged double digit K's against similar aged competition his first two years and that naturally dropped as he sky rocketed through the minors. This could be his break out season even while playing his home games in a hitters park. Lyles was originally drafted by the Astros with the 38th pick of the first round in 2008. 

RHP Bowman is still a young pitcher who is dominating on the mound at Double A Binghamton of the Mets. This season he is 3-0, 1.04 ERA, 17 K, 0.98 WHIP in 17.1 IP over 3 games. This follows his first full season in the minors where he was 10-4, 3.05 ERA, 116 K, 1.15 WHIP in 127.0 IP over 21 games combined between Class A and Class A Advanced. The Mets drafted him in the 13th round in 2012 out of Princeton. While at Princeton he pitched and was the starting shortstop his last two seasons. Bowman will be 23 on May 31.