Brewers' Wily Peralta hoping to build off strong finish in 2016
PHOENIX - The Milwaukee Brewers asked right-hander Wily Peralta to do something they knew wouldn’t be easy last season.
After getting off to an awful start through 13 outings (4-7, 6.68 earned run average), Peralta was told to go down to Class AAA Colorado Springs – a notoriously tough venue for pitchers – and make the necessary adjustments to become successful.
Sort of like asking a chef to cook a gourmet meal on a hot plate.
“It wasn’t easy,” Peralta said. “I had a hard time in a couple of starts.”
The results were mixed for Peralta in Colorado Springs (1-3, 6.31 in 10 starts) but he persevered and came back two months later a different pitcher. Most noticeably, he was throwing in the high 90s again after struggling to get to 93 mph earlier.
The increased velocity didn’t happen with the wave of a magic wand, however. With input from Brewers pitching coach Derek Johnson, Colorado Springs pitching coach Fred Dabney and minor-league pitching coordinator Rick Tomlin, Peralta tweaked his delivery so, among other things, his arm didn’t drag behind his body.
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The difference in results was dramatic for Peralta upon his return to the Brewers. In 10 starts, he fashioned a 2.92 ERA with a 1.151 WHIP – down from 1.879 before going down to Colorado Springs.
“The velocity, we think was the product of a couple of mechanical changes,” manager Craig Counsell said. “The thing about mechanical changes is we all (have to be) on the same page. But for the player to do it, that’s another step.
“And a mechanical adjustment doesn’t necessarily happen the day you give it to him. To feel it and understand how to implement it is two different things. Through Fred and D.J. and Rick Tomlin, I think Wily got to the point where he made the adjustment and got some velocity back.”
Peralta also sharpened up his slider, which had been flat earlier in the season and too often out of the strike zone.
“The mechanical adjustment I made was pretty good,” Peralta said. “It was just little things. I wasn’t staying balanced. I was going forward too quick and my arm was staying back.
“At the beginning of the season, my pitches weren’t breaking like they’re supposed to break. My slider was staying flat in the (strike) zone. I’m pretty much a fastball/slider guy. So, if I only have one pitch working, I’m going to struggle.”
The turnaround allowed Peralta to go home feeling much better about himself. He pitched a couple of innings late in the Dominican Winter League to get prepared for spring camp as well as a berth on his country’s pitching staff for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Peralta made his first start of the spring Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Maryvale Baseball Park and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk with one strikeout.
“I wanted to be ready because the last few years I’ve struggled in the first half,” Peralta said. “This year, I wanted to make sure that I come ready right away and not just use spring training to get ready for the season.”
Peralta is one of seven established major leaguers competing for five jobs in the Brewers’ rotation. Though he was the Brewers' opening day pitcher in 2016, Peralta said he is taking nothing for granted, despite his strong finish last season.
“There’s always competition every year,” he said. “It’s never easy. You have to be ready to do your job and earn a spot. That’s my mentality. I don’t feel comfortable that I’m in the rotation.”