With the Reds bullpen problems over the last week I had the bullpen on my mind. Today I wanted to look at two relievers who seem to be heading in a bit of a different direction and not just because one is a lefty and the other is a righty: RHP Kyle Lotzkar and LHP Wandy Peralta.
Last offseason the Reds, like all other teams , added several players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. One of the guys they added was Kyle Lotzkar, who had just finished up a so-so season at the Double-A level after a short stint to begin the year in Advanced-A where he cruised through 26.1 innings as a starter. In his first month and a half in Pensacola he performed well, posting an ERA of 2.98 in 42.1 innings with 22 walks and 49 strikeouts. From that point forward things went south in a hurry. Over the next 45.2 innings he walked 31 batters and had 47 strikeouts while posting a 7.09 ERA. I saw him in August and he simply looked tired. He only made one start after that before finishing the season with an injury. The Reds sent him to the bullpen to begin the season and the results have been poor to this point. After posted an ERA of 11.88 in 10 games for Pensacola he was sent down to Bakersfield. Things have been better with a much lower walk rate and ERA, but his walk rate is still over 4 batters per 9 innings and that is simply too high. He has not pitched on back to back days to this point in the year.
Scouting Report
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When most guys head to the bullpen from the rotation they will pick up some velocity. At least to this point in the season, that hasn’t been the case with Lotzkar who has been throwing 88-94 with his fastball. When no one is on base he will still pitch out of the wind up instead of the stretch, something that we may see him get away from in the future. He has struggled to throw his fastball for strikes with any consistency this year. His curveball is still a very strong looking pitch and he hasn’t had as many struggles throwing it for strikes as the fastball. Of course you use the fastball to set up the curveball, which has led to plenty of issues given the success, or lack there of to this point with the fastball.
Wandy Peralta is on an opposite path this season. He pitched in 2012 with the Arizona League Reds without exciting results as he posted a 6.55 ERA in 45.1 innings, splitting time between starting and relieving. The left hander has a much better ERA this year, sitting at 3.86 as of the moment that I type this. The main difference has been his BABIP, which was .389 last season and is .328 this season, though a better strand rate has also helped. With his numbers and his age (20 last season), he didn’t even make my 2013 Prospect Guide. The odds are good that he will this year. The left hander had a strong spring and wound up in Dayton this year where he struggled in April but has pitched much better in May and June out of the bullpen (and a lone spot start). Since May rolled around his ERA has dropped to 2.66 in 20.1 innings with 13 hits, 10 walks and 19 strikeouts. The walk rate is still higher than you would like to see but he is a lefty who is missing bats.
Scouting Report
Peralta, as noted, will struggle with his control at times. He throws his fastball in the 90-94 MPH range with a little arm-side run. For a lefty that is above-average velocity. He mixes in a change up in the 80-82 MPH range that has some sink to it as well as a bit of arm-side run. His curveball comes in in a similar range as his change up at 78-82 MPH and is a strong pitch when at its best.. With his arm angle and the fact that he throws across his body a bit, he will often have his pitches coming over the plate in toward right handers or tailing away from lefties. He will need to improve his control as he moves up the ladder, but he has shown at times that he can throw all of his pitches inside the strikezone.
Video
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