I don’t normally consider relievers in A-ball to be prospects. Being able to consistently get a handful of players out at this level is a far cry from being asked for three outs against Major League talent. The best players at the High-A level are still a downgrade over the worst players in the Majors.
That said, when a pitcher is performing the way Luis Peralta has been performing this year for Greensboro, it’s worth recognition. The 23-year-old left-hander has an 0.43 ERA in 21 innings, with 41 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a .114 batting average against.
Peralta, the younger brother of MLB starter Freddy Peralta, obviously has the pedigree to be a professional pitcher. His stuff has looked promising the last few years in Single-A Bradenton, where he spent most of his time working as a starter. The Pirates moved him back and forth between the rotation and bullpen last year, with most of his outings lasting 2-3 innings, and a few extending to four frames.
This year, Peralta has been exclusively a reliever. He has pitched into a third inning of work once, but most of his appearances have been limited to 1-2 frames.
There isn’t publicly available Statcast data in High-A, but Peralta showed promise with his stuff last year in Bradenton. His sinker sat 93.1 MPH, and he paired that with an 88 MPH changeup and a 76 MPH curveball. The curveball had a 60% whiff rate, while the other two pitches had whiff rates around 23-26%.
Peralta has dealt with control in the past, and he still has some concerns with a 13.4% walk rate this year. That number keeps going down, dropping from 14.5% last year and 15.5% in 2022. The fact that he has a 50% strikeout rate this year, while dropping the walk rate, and limiting hits, shows dominance at this level.
The Pirates should challenge Peralta at some point this year with a push to Altoona. He looks too advanced for A-ball at this point, which is a good thing. That’s not something that could have been said last year, when he was at a lower level in A-ball. At that point, he was a guy with promise due to his stuff. Now that he’s getting results with that stuff, in a more concentrated role, he’s looking like a prospect on the rise.
