Luis Peralta: Trying To Learn From Early Season Failures

While a lot of the numbers on the stat sheet for the Bradenton Marauders don’t jump out at you, there is one that specifically does, and it belongs to pitcher Luis Peralta.

The lefty has put up video game type strikeout numbers this season, striking out 41 batters in 21 2/3 innings. The issue of course has been his control, walking 20 batters. After his last outing on May 24^th, where he walked four in 1 1/3 innings, Peralta was placed on the Development List for a chance to work out some details.

“He just needs to reset himself. He’s got great stuff. He’s got to get himself back in the tune,” Bradenton Manager Jonathan Johnston told Pirates Prospects. “Sometimes you get off the tracks a little bit early in the season, with all of the emotions, all of the failures that they have to learn how to handle for the first time.”

While Peralta has dealt with some struggles this year, with an ERA near eight, and the high walk rate, it hasn’t all been bad.

He has struck out nearly two batters per inning this year, and 12 of the 19 earned runs he’s allowed have come in two starts that spanned 3 2/3 innings. That’s an ERA of 29.45 in those two outings, and a 3.50 the rest of the time.

So not all of it has been bad. Here’s a deeper look at his pitch arsenal, and what has and hasn’t been working for him so far this year.

The video is from his May 4^th start against Tampa, where he pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowed four hits, three walks and two earned runs while striking out nine.

Fastball/Sinker

Peralta doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, averaging around 91-92 with that and his sinker, which are his two primary pitches. For a pitch that doesn’t get up there velocity wise, he’s able to generate a good amount of swings and misses with it.

The added movement on the sinker could help, and looking at the video, three of the five whiffs shown were off lefties. For all the control issues Peralta has had, his fastball and sinker hasn’t really been part of that problem.

According to his Baseball Savant numbers, 72% of the fastballs and sinkers Peralta has thrown have been for strikes. Overall, Peralta is throwing 58% of his pitches for strikes, so that really speaks to where the control issues are coming from.

Peralta has thrown 152 total sinkers this year, with only 38 of them coming in as balls. For his fastball, 37-of-120 have been balls.

Curveball

Peralta’s curve has potential, indicated with the good movement and near 50% whiff rate with a decent usage.

The issue has been consistently locating the pitch. Peralta has thrown 94 curveballs this season, with only 44 going for strikes (53.1%). While that obviously shows he relies on that pitch to put batters away, at some point he’s going to have to show he can throw it for strikes to keep hitters honest.

In his last start against Fort Myers, Peralta threw 12 curveballs, all of which were balls. That could hint to hitters around the league recognizing and laying off the pitch because they know Peralta struggles with throwing the pitch for strikes.

You can see in the video that he can throw it for strikes, and how good the pitch can be when he can place it. It’s just a matter of finding consistency.

Changeup

This is Peralta’s least used pitch, throwing a total of 31 them all season, only 16 of which have been strikes (51.6%). It shows good movement, and the whiff rate isn’t bad for a pitch he has struggled commanding.

The most Peralta has used the pitch was the game this video was taken from, a total of seven times. You can see in the video that he gets a whiff right out the gate, but then struggles to locate it the rest of the game.

The pitch is a work in progress and will be key if he wants to continue to work out of the rotation.

Final Look

Peralta is an interesting player to watch when he returns from the Development List. He doesn’t have the stature of a traditional pitcher but has good stuff. The delivery can be all over at times as well, as in each video you can see instances of him falling wildly off the mound during his follow through.

“He’s just got to learn how to control himself out there,” Johnston said of Peralta. “They’re very intense guys [at this level], and they want to do well. They’re learning how to do well, which is a big difference. You can try hard, but try doesn’t work. That’s what they’re learning.”

THIS WEEKEND ON PIRATES PROSPECTS

Prospect Roundtable: The Rest of the Bradenton Pitching Staff

Po-Yu Chen Fine Tuning His Stuff in Bradenton

Luis Peralta: Trying To Learn From Early Season Failures

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