The Position He Chose

The Shortstop of His Past

Geraldo Perdomo was 11 when his cousin Yewri Guillen died of bacterial meningitis at 18. Guillen was a Nationals prospect. To Perdomo, he was an older brother. After the death, Perdomo's uncle urged him to stop pitching and take up shortstop — to honor Guillen and continue what he left behind. Perdomo did. He had spent his early childhood in Boca Chica before moving to San Cristóbal, the eldest of four siblings, and he is still at the position today.

On May 29, in his sixth season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Perdomo collected his 500th major-league hit. He was 26, playing for the only organization he has ever known — the club that signed him as an international free agent for a $70,000 bonus in July 2016 after a multi-hour negotiation and debuted him at 21 on April 3, 2021. Across 681 games, all in a Diamondbacks uniform, he has hit .253 with a .350 on-base percentage, 43 home runs and 78 stolen bases.

The Heartbeat

When manager Torey Lovullo told him he had made the 2023 All-Star team as a replacement, Perdomo ran around the stadium in disbelief and called his mother Fatima, who cried. She had dreamed of seeing him in a loud stadium, surrounded by teammates and media. He won a Silver Slugger and the Diamondbacks' team MVP in 2025. Teammates and coaches now call him the heartbeat and captain of the infield. In 2020 at the alternate site, Perdomo bunted off Madison Bumgarner during rehab work. Bumgarner tried to hit him. Two years later as teammates, Bumgarner admitted he had misjudged Perdomo as cocky and thereafter became one of his strongest supporters.

In 2026, the Diamondbacks signed Perdomo's younger brother Nicola, a 17-year-old outfielder, for a $47,500 bonus. Through 119 games this season, Geraldo has 107 hits.

Reporting: The Athletic, Arizona Sports, ESPN, MLB.com, Arizona Republic, Forbes. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.