What went wrong for Freddy Peralta in Queens? No. 1 is No. 1: Peralta’s fastball hasn’t performed up to his career standards.
The only pitch thrown more often than Peralta’s four-seamer this season is Jacob Misiorowski’s; one of those fastballs has been a fair bit better than the other. While Peralta’s velo is down about a half-tick from last year, the bigger issue has been the drop in his release point and extension. Peralta is delivering his pitches from a lower angle this year (33 degrees compared to 38 last year), and he’s not getting the elite extension that gives it extra life (his extension is about 3 1/2 inches less than last year).
As a result, Peralta hasn’t gotten swings-and-misses on his fastball at the same rate, and when he’s made mistakes in the zone with it — which he’s done more often this year — he’s paid for it. Opposing hitters are batting .336 and slugging .575 on Peralta fastballs in the heart of the plate — his worst numbers since he was bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen back in 2019.
“It’s really just executing it at the top,” said Mets pitching coach Justin Willard. “That’s the identity for Freddy and the message we’ve given all year.”
“I know so far I’ve let (the Mets) down. I haven’t done what I was supposed to do,” Peralta said last Sunday, acknowledging it probably was his final start with the club. “I know I can be way better than this. I still believe in myself. I was born to be a winner and not a loser. I think I have a lot in me, a lot to show. I know it can change because I still have time to make a change.”
