Overview
Rating: 9.63
2025 Stats: .290/.389/.462, 136 OPS+, 7.0 bWAR
Date of Birth: Oct 12, 1993 (32 YO)
2025 Salary: $2.5 Million
2026 Status: under contract through 2029, team option in 2030
This is the fourth year
in a row that I have written the final entry into our off-season reviews, and sometimes I wonder why I keep taking the assignment. It’s always the hardest, I feel. For one, you want the article to live up to the ranking. It’s a #1 review, it should read like it. However, it’s also hard because so much has already been written about the player in question by the time the off-season reviews come around, you struggle to find something new to say. If you’ve had a thought about Corbin Carroll in 2023, Marte in 2024, etc. odds are someone on this great site has already put it down.
I don’t know why, but it feels like a lot has been written about Perdomo all along his career as a Diamondback. Early on, it was about how he was struggling to adapt to the big leagues, after being rushed through the minors at a rate nearly as fast as Carroll, then how he should be removed from his position in favor of someone, anyone else, then, well, he’s starting to put it together. Of course, then there was the gnarly knee injury to start 2024 and plenty was written about that too.
Then, in the offseason of 2024, it really felt like the vibe of the articles and comments surrounding him shifted. Perhaps it was because he finished seventh overall in MVP voting, but it really felt that fans were starting to accept him not just as a good player, but as an exceptional leader in the clubhouse. Jeff gave him a glowing review at the end of that season, noting how he had been sneaky good in several categories, and how some, including his defense, really were only trending up.
Mike Hazen seemed to agree, and in February gave Perdomo a four year, $45 million extension, locking him in as the cornerstone of the infield, and a core member of the clubhouse, for a while to come. Jeff again came around with another glowing article favorable comparing Perdomo to Marte at the time of the latter’s first extension. He argued that while he probably will never achieve the peak Marte did, he’ll be just as valuable on a similar contract. In retrospect, he may have undersold it.
It’s a trope that players are expected to underperform after receiving big contract extensions. I couldn’t say if that is really the case, or if it’s just the negative examples featuring more prominently in our minds. It cannot be said that it applies to Geraldo Perdomo, however. He arguably put together one of the best seasons in Diamondbacks history in response.
- In his career, he has hit 34 home runs. 20 of them were this season.
- His career OPS+ is 101. This season it was 134.
- Only two players have surpassed his 7 bWAR season as a hitter. You may have heard of them… Paul Goldschmidt and Luis Gonzalez.
- Couple that and more with solid, if not spectacular defense, and you have an incredible season.
This is to say nothing of the soul and heartbeat of the team he’d become. Both Suarez and Gallen publicly called him a leader and the heartbeat of the team, and it was visible to anyone who watched a broadcast this season. His the first to celebrate, the first to encourage, and the first to comfort, as seen with the unfortunate incident of Ketel Marte being harassed by a spectator.
He was also, as far as I can see, the only player to publicly and clearly state a position on the Ketel Marte absence situation. While some others were content to hide their opinions behind anonymous statements to Nick Piecoro, Perdomo gave a strong and impassioned defense of his teammate and friend, giving a show of support and unity that was missing from the clubhouse at that time.
One might say it was an MVP worthy season, and many of us did. I don’t think anyone was truly expecting him to win the award. Shohei Ohtani still exists, after all. We did general expect him to do well, however. The BBWAA pulled their usual crap, though, and he didn’t even make the top three, despite a strong case for number two and a stretch case for winning the whole thing. Jim wrote a very strongly worded piece regarding the situation. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t, but highlights include Perdomo tying Ohtani in average WAR, Kyle Schwarber not really being that great at all honestly, and calling out specific voters for their indefensible ballots.
2026 Outlook
Where does he go from here? That’s the ultimate question. He’s got the contract, he’s had a career year. Logic dictates a regression to the mean. More than likely a good season, but probably not as spectacular as this one. But what if he doesn’t regress? What if he continues to maintain this production for another year, or more? Other than, well that’s what always happens, there’s no real reason I can see that his numbers would take a step back. The underlying fundamentals behind his numbers appear sound and there isn’t any noise to suggest regression. Who can say, but I can say for sure that his next steps, and the rest of his career, promise to be some of the most exciting things Diamondbacks fans have to look forward to.
