Freddy Peralta's time with the New York Mets was a nightmare, but he has certainly turned his season around with the Tampa Bay Rays, who acquired him at the trade deadline. Now, Peralta is the American League Pitcher of the Month for September after going 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA in five starts.
So how did he get here? Peralta raised his arm angle to around 36 degrees with the Rays, as opposed to 33 degrees when he was with the Mets earlier in the season. He has also gotten his extension back to about 6.7 feet, while it was just 6.5 feet with the Mets. Last season, Peralta's arm angle was 38.4 degrees and his extension was 6.8 feet pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA with the Brewers in 2025. These adjustments have seen Peralta's velocity rise by 2-3 mph on all of his pitches.
What else is leading to Freddy Peralta's success with the Rays?
Beyond Peralta's release point and extension, one rival National League scout who watched the 30-year-old's recent start against the Boston Red Sox believes his pitch usage is making a difference as well.
"Fastball was exceptional and did not look like the Sox had much chance against the velocity," the scout said of Peralta. "(I) felt like he leaned heavy on the changeup over his sweeper. The biggest adjustment down in Tampa Bay in my opinion (for Peralta) is leaning on the changeup."
In his Sept. 19 start against the Red Sox, 88 of Peralta's 97 pitches were either fastballs (58) or changeups (30). His fastball averaged 96.4 mph, an increase from his 94.3 mph season average. He also threw his changeup 30.9 percent of the time, which was 7.5 percent above his 23.4 percent season average. Peralta went 5.2 innings, allowed one run, struck out six and walked two in this outing.
Peralta has gotten back to what has made him a successful starting pitcher in the big leagues with his fastball-changeup combination. He's also utilizing a common Rays philosophy when it comes to their pitchers: using his changeup against right-handed hitters.
"The Rays throw more same-sided changeups than anyone," the scout said.
Given the way Peralta pitched in the season's final month, plus posting a 1.76 ERA in his last seven starts, he has earned a chance to take the ball in the postseason for the Rays. Tampa Bay has a first-round bye in the playoffs and will either play the AL East rival Red Sox or New York Yankees in the ALDS. Peralta should be making a start in one of those games in that series based on his late surge. Overall, Peralta went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts with the Rays. It's a much better outcome than his 22 starts with the Mets this season, where he posted a 4.99 ERA.
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