Orioles hire Koby Perez to head international scouting department

The restructuring of the Orioles' front office and scouting department has led today to one of the more important hires of the offseason.

The club announced that Koby Perez, 40, has been named senior director, international scouting and will report directly to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.

Perez will oversee all aspects of the international scouting operations and management of the team's bonus pool. He spent the last five seasons in the Indians organization, including three as director of Latin American scouting, guiding all amateur scouting efforts in Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Before earning his promotion with the Indians, Perez served as their international crosschecker.

"In Koby Perez, we have found the right person to spearhead the Orioles' new international presence," Elias said in a statement. "His experience, connections and reputation built across a fast-rising career in multiple successful organizations will immediately elevate our capabilities in this critical market. Hiring Koby is a major first step in improving our footing in Latin America. We will continue to augment our operation until the Baltimore Orioles are leaders in recruiting and developing international players."

Prior to working for the Indians, Perez spent five seasons on the Phillies' Latin American scouting staff from 2009-13, focusing primarily on efforts in the Dominican Republic. He is credited with playing a significant role in the signings of infielder Maikel Franco, outfielder Domingo Santana and pitchers Seranthony Domínguez and RHP Héctor Neris, among others.

Perez started working in professional baseball in 2006 by serving as the Cardinals' northeast area scout and held the job through 2008. Elias joined the Cardinals in 2007 in a scouting capacity.

Born in Tamayo in the Dominican Republic, Perez grew up in North Bergen, N.J., and played in the Red Sox organization from 2002-03 as a catcher, shortstop and first baseman. He also played in the Independent Atlantic League and Northeast League from 2003-05.

The Orioles have vowed to strengthen their presence internationally and become more active in bidding on free agents. They've sought to hire someone to oversee the expanding department, which no longer includes assistant director of minor league and international operations Cale Cox, director of Dominican Republic baseball operations Nelson Norman and scout Joel Bradley.

Mike Snyder remains as director of Pacific Rim operations and baseball development, and Calvin Maduro has been retained as an international scout based in the United States.

Fred Ferreira most recently headed the international scouting department as its director from December 2011 until his dismissal following the 2017 season.

Note: The Orioles signed local product Sean Miller to a minor league contract in December to provide infield depth in their system.

Miller, 24, is a Crofton native who played at Archbishop Spalding and the University of South Carolina Aiken. The Twins selected him in the 10th round of the 2015 draft and he's a career .249/.283/.316 hitter in 323 games, his glove at shortstop bringing most of the appeal. He also can play second and third base.

Miller rose to Triple-A Rochester over the summer, appearing in 10 games before his 50-game suspension in July after a second positive test for drugs of abuse.