Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers ’17 — #38 Wily Peralta
Today is Friday, February 24 and we sit 38 days away from Opening Day at Miller Park.
But I’m not at Miller Park. I am in Arizona for Spring Training and…well…kind of forgot to get this article posted sooner as I take in all things Maryvale/Phoenix/Tempe/etc.
So without further ado, let’s talk about…
Wily Peralta.
Wily Peralta in 2016 was very much a tale of two seasons.
After a rough Cactus League and, quite bluntly, bad first half of the year, Peralta was optioned down to Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 12. Peralta was recalled on August 7 to take the place of Junior Guerra who succumbed to an injury.
Those are dates of interest. Now here are the stats that coincide from April 6 — June 12 & August 7 — the end of the 2016 season.
First half: 13 GS, 6.68 ERA, 66.0 IP, 97 H, 12 HR, 27 BB, 42 K, 1.879 WHIP, 1.56 K/BB
Second half: 10 GS, 2.92 ERA, 61.2 IP, 55 H, 7 HR, 16 BB, 51 K, 1.151 WHIP, 3.19 K/BB
Peralta had control issues to begin the year. Think a bad version of Kenny Powers. He was ineffectively wild, had lost a bit of velo, and most dangerously was leaving the ball up far more than a pitcher with his profile and stuff should have been.
When he was demoted to Triple-A, Peralta had a lot to work on. It wasn’t easy for him and without an injury to Guerra perhaps he never gets the opportunity to show what he learned. Baseball is funny that way. I spoke to him upon his return and, to paraphrase, he said that the environment forced him to focus on his execution. As such, when he returned to sea level his improved execution allowed him to produce far superior results.
A strong finish to the 2016 season has positioned Peralta squarely in the midst of the training camp rotation battle. There are seven guys for five spots and Peralta looks to earn his slot by building on his extremely promising finish a few months ago.
For 2017 I see Peralta capitalizing on the gains he made and starting the season in the starting rotation in Milwaukee. We’ll know more as the Cactus League gets underway (tomorrow, as I finish this up) but if 2nd half Peralta is the player Counsell has at his disposal I feel quite confident in this prediction.
As with any prediction, time will ultimately tell.
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Follow Wily on Twitter: @WilyPeralta38
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Looking to catch up on this season’s BBtJN? Just click on a name below:
#59 Carlos Torres
#57 Chase Anderson
#56 Ryan Webb
#54 Michael Blazek
#53 Jhan Mariñez
#52 Jimmy Nelson
#51 Damien Magnifico
#50 Jacob Barnes
#47 Jett Bandy
#46 Corey Knebel
#45 Tyler Cravy
#41 Junior Guerra
