Former first-rounder Delvin Perez among 16 Cardinals minor-leaguers to elect

As a 17-year-old from Puerto Rico, Perez was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. He reached the Class AAA level for the first time in his career this past season and played in six seasons within the Cardinals’ farm system. In his minor-league career, he batted .250 with a .322 on-base percentage and a .322 slugging percentage.

Perez was ranked as high as No. 8 on some draft prospects lists, but a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug that he took to help him add weight before the draft led him to slip down the board far enough for the Cardinals to take him at No. 23. He received a $2.2-million bonus.