Northwestern Lehigh graduate Rafe Perich was recently named the Texas Rangers’ Minor League Player of the Year.

The former Tiger, now 24 years old, slashed .315/.401/.586/.987 (140-444) across 116 games between High-A Hub City and Double-A Frisco, belting an organization-high 27 home runs with four triples, 31 doubles, and 92 RBIs.

The switch-hitting corner infielder led Texas minor leaguers in average, slugging, and OPS (min. 350 plate appearances). His 62 extra-base hits were the most by a Rangers farmhand since Curtis Terry in 2019 (63).

Perich was named South Atlantic League Player of the Month in May with Hub City and was promoted on May 29 to Frisco, where he tallied a Texas League-high 27 doubles the rest of the year.

He capped 2026 by batting .358 (29-81) in August and .400 (14-35) in September, registering a season-high-tying five RBIs in his final regular season game last Friday at Greenville. Four of those runs driven in came on a grand slam that traveled 471 feet.

Tabbed as the club’s 19th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, Perich has totaled 33 home runs and 147 RBIs in 221 career games since being selected in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft from Lehigh.