Wandy Peralta has gotten out to a very strong start to the 2016 season. His season began in Double-A with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos where he pitched in 13 games, posting a 3.06 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. In that time he would walk just three batters and strike out 20. The lefty was promoted this past week to Triple-A Louisville.
The reliever has picked up right where he left off in his first two appearances. In 1.1 innings with the Bats he’s allowed just one hit, walked no one and struck out two batters. In total he’s thrown 19.0 innings with a 2.84 ERA, three walks and has struck out 22 batters.
The timing to take a step forward may not have come at a better time in his career than right now for Wandy Peralta. The Cincinnati Reds bullpen is the worst that it’s been in quite a long time, currently posting a 6.48 ERA in 152.2 innings with an incredibly high walk total of 88. It is still May, yet the Reds have used 12 different relievers this season and with the year going as it is, now is the time for the organization to give anyone a chance who resembles a possible future big league reliever.
The 2016 year is the first year since 2013 in which Peralta has been used as a reliever. Over the last two seasons he had made 48 starts and nine relief appearances and for the most part, he had struggled with that. During the offseason he pitched winter ball in the Dominican Republic, posting a 3.48 ERA in 20.2 innings, all in relief.
The problem, largely, in the past has been consistently throwing strikes. The raw stuff has always been there for the lefty, but he’s struggled to throw enough strikes – posting a walk rate of 4.1 batters per 9 innings pitched since the beginning of 2012. That’s been the biggest step forward for Peralta this season, his walk rate is currently sitting at 1.4 batters per 9 innings pitched.
Here’s some video from his most recent outing for Louisville where he tossed a shutout inning with two strikeouts.
Wandy Peralta Scouting Report
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Fastball | The pitch is now working in the 94-95 MPH range and touches 97, showing off plus velocity from the left side.
Breaking Ball | In the past the lefty threw a curveball in the 78-82 MPH range, but his breaking ball is now coming in a bit harder than that these days, working in the mid 80’s. It’s an average to slightly above-average offering.
Change Up | You can get a good look at this pitch in the video as the final pitch to the 1st batter who swings through it. It shows some late armside running action and also works in the mid 80’s. At times the pitch will also show some good sinking action as well.
On the night in Louisville from the video, Peralta showed good control, mostly throwing strikes and being able to get a strike when he wanted to. His walk rate is very low this season, but he’s still not a huge command guy, so I would expect a rise in his walk rate this season – though it wouldn’t surprise me to see it fall into a good range as he has, at least to this point in the season, shown strides in better control than he’s had in the past.
From the left side, with his velocity and an ability to throw strikes, he probably could help out the big league club very soon. How well he can keep throwing the ball in the zone will be the long-term question with Peralta. When he’s on, and he has been most of the season, the results certainly speak for themselves. He’s got a legit big league arm and three average or better offerings to work with.
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