Freddy Peralta Shows Ingredients To Start

Freddy Peralta might not be big in stature but the 21-year-old has grown by leaps and bounds as a pitcher over the last year.

Peralta, a 6-foot, 168-pound Dominican righthander, assured he would be protected on the 40-man roster this offseason with a standout 2017 that catapulted him up the organization’s prospect ranking.

Splitting the season between high Class A Carolina and Double-A Biloxi, Peralta recorded a 2.63 ERA in 25 games (19 starts) with 62 walks and 169 strikeout—tops in the farm system and ninth in the minors—in 120 innings.

And it wasn’t as if Peralta overpowered hitters. He threw his fastball in the low 90s while mixing in an effective slider and improved changeup. But he has what scouts refer to as a “disappearing fastball”—a pitch that batters have a difficult time tracking because of its high spin and the deception in his delivery.

Peralta, who turned pro in 2013, reminds some in the organization of former Brewers righthander Mike Fiers.

“He really works off that one pitch—his fastball,” farm director Tom Flanagan said, “but that one pitch could be considered more than that because he does a lot with it. He can cut it and make it move where he wants.

“Freddy has really learned how to pitch. His feel for pitching is very impressive.”

One of three young righthanders acquired from the Mariners in December 2015 for first baseman Adam Lind, Peralta is impressive on and off the field. He is a coach’s delight with a great work ethic and intelligence, which makes his vast improvement easy to understand.

Conventional wisdom states that slightly built righties don’t make great big league starters, but the Brewers beg to differ. Peralta is still developing physically and maturing as a pitcher, and the expectation is that he will remain in the rotation.

“I think he’s definitely a future starter in the big leagues,” Flanagan said. “He has great aptitude and work ethic, and he will have three major league pitches in the not-too-distant future. The way he works, we feel he’ll continue to develop and reach that potential.”