Newly promoted Red Sox pitching propsect dominates in his first Double-A start for the Portland Sea Dogs
Luis Perales made his first start in Double-A for the Portland Sea Dogs, and the fast-rising pitching prospect dominated the Altoona Curve.
Perales dazzled over five innings of work, allowing just two hits and one run, which was unearned, while walking one and striking out seven batters. The righty threw 67 pitches, 47 of them for strikes, and earned his first win.
The Venezuelan native opened the game, striking out the side in impressive fashion.
Before his promotion, Perales posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.98 FIP with 46 strikeouts and 10 walks across seven starts (26 1/3 innings) with the Red Sox High-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive. The righty also ranked first in the South Atlantic League in strikeouts, with 15.72 per nine innings, a strikeout rate of 39.7 percent, and a swinging-strikeout rate of 20.7 percent, per FanGraphs.
The righty missed some time earlier this season dealing with soreness on his side, but since returning to the mound, he’s looked impressive. He’s posted a 2.11 ERA with a great 1.97 FIP and 39 strikeouts to just eight walks over his last five outings (21 1/3 innings), all dating back to April 27.
Perales throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-to-high leg kick into his delivery, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report. The righty primarily operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that tops out at 98–99 mph, a low-90s cutter, a low-80s changeup, and a mid-80s slider.
One of the keys to Perales’ success of late has been the ability to mix his off-speed pitch offerings and not solely rely on his fastball.
Recently, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier wrote about the right-hander: “He is throwing harder and with more movement, mixing a mid- to upper-90s four-seamer with a cutter and a diving splitter, the latter a great bottom-of-the-zone swing-and-miss complement to his elevated riding fastball. He also employs an occasional slider.”
The 21-year-old originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent in July 2019. He was added to the Red Sox 40-man roster along with fellow Sea Dogs teammate Wikelman Gonzalez. Perales is ranked as the Red Sox No. 9 prospect by Baseball America. He ranks third behind Richard Fitts and Gonzalez as the organization’s top three hurlers.
