Hitters know the Brewers' Freddy Peralta is going to throw high fastballs, but they aren't easy to hit

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta's fastball can be difficult to hit.

When Freddy Peralta is on the mound, the hitter doesn’t really have to guess what pitch is coming. Nearly nine times out of 10, it’s going to be a fastball.

Now, let’s see if you can hit it.

The 22-year-old right-hander, who will make his first home start for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night against Kansas City, does not feature an extensive repertoire. He throws his fastball approximately 84% of the time, and nearly every other pitch will be a curveball. On rare occasion, Peralta adds a changeup to the mix.

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It’s the way Peralta throws that fastball that makes him unique. He works up in the strike zone with regularity, generating many swings and misses. And he does not do it with overpowering velocity. Peralta’s fastball generally sits in the 90-92 mph range.

So, how does he get away with it?

“It’s how I pitch,” said the 6-foot, 170-pound rookie. “I just have to locate my pitches, throw them in different locations.

“My fastball is not like one pitch. It moves a lot. Sometimes, it cuts (away from the hitter). Sometimes, it goes in. Sometimes, up. It’s not the same pitch.”

Whatever Peralta is doing, it’s working. He had a sensational major-league debut on Mother’s Day in the tough pitching environment of Colorado, not allowing the Rockies a hit until the sixth inning while recording a club-record 13 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Next time out, Peralta’s command eluded him – an occasional issue – and he walked six batters in Minnesota in only four innings, leading to four runs, an early exit and a no-decision.

Then, it was back to Class AAA Colorado Springs, another notoriously tough pitching environment where Peralta has dominated this season (6-1, 2.75 in 12 starts, 84 strikeouts in 59 innings, .208 opponents batting average). 

Peralta returned to the majors last Tuesday in Pittsburgh and again was quite impressive, tossing six shutout innings with only two hits allowed. He walked none – a huge factor in his success – and recorded seven strikeouts.

Afterward, manager Craig Counsell noted how calm the sometimes excitable Peralta was in mowing through the Pirates’ lineup.

“He is a poised young man,” Counsell said. “The situation is not too big for him.”

As usually happens with Peralta on the mound, the Pirates had trouble laying off high fastballs. They also lodged an oft-heard complaint by hitters facing him: they had trouble picking up the ball out of his hand.

Nobody knows exactly why, but there is something in Peralta’s delivery that allows him to hide the ball before releasing it. Hitters have less time to react, resulting in the many swings and misses you see on his fastball.

Just don’t ask Peralta how he does it.

“I’ve heard that before but I don’t know how that happens,” he said. “I just throw the ball. It’s how I pitch. I’m not sure exactly what it is. I am glad to hear that but it’s just the way I pitch. I think it helps me a lot.”

Counsell compares the way Peralta throws the ball to Brewers starter Brent Suter, which at first blush might sound odd. After all, Suter is a soft-tossing lefty who usually tops out at 86-87 mph and throws far more changeups (13%) than Peralta.

But Suter does pitch up in the strike zone with regularity with his fastball, and hitters often say they don’t pick the ball up immediately.

“They are doing it very similarly,” Counsell said. “They have the same type of action on their fastball. There's something in their deliveries that I don’t think any of us can exactly figure out that hitters don’t like.

"They do something that other pitchers don’t do that makes it harder on the hitters. Hitters want things they see a lot. Their eyes can adjust; they train for something they see a lot. But when they get something they don’t see a lot, it makes it difficult for them.

“It’s not something they’re trying to do. It’s part of their natural pitching motion that’s different, that’s unique. It has some kind of quirk in it that makes it difficult for the hitter. It’s not teachable.”

So, the Royals will have the same scouting report on Peralta that every team possesses. Look for the fastball up in the strike zone. He is going to throw it a lot.

What the scouting report won’t say is “good luck hitting it.”

“It has been a big part of my success,” Peralta said. “I work on it a lot. I have confidence in myself. Let’s see what happens. I hope to do the same as before.”