Red Sox pitching prospect strikes out 12 in the Greenville Drives' 15-2 win
One of the more promising Red Sox pitching prospects dazzled on the mound Tuesday night.
Right-handed hurler Luis Perales was dominant over five innings, giving up one run with two walks and striking out 12 Greensboro Grasshoppers hitters.
Perales’ 12 strikeouts tie a career high for the No. 9-ranked prospect in the Red Sox system, according to Baseball America. The hard-throwing righty hit 99 mph on the radar gun in his outing while mixing in his cutter.
Since coming off the injured list, Perales has a 2.13 ERA with 39 strikeouts to six walks and has given up five earned runs over 21 1/3 innings.
Perales was added to the Red Sox 40-man roster this winter, along with fellow right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez.
The 21-year-old is ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox No. 3 pitching prospect in the system, behind Gonzalez and Richard Fitts. The righty made eight starts last season for Low-A Salem. Overall, he made 21 starts, posting a 3.91 ERA over 89 2/3 innings pitched. Perales stuck out 115 batters and went 4-7 with a 1.42 WHIP.
This year is 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA with 46 strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP over 26 1/3 innings (seven starts).
The right-handed hurler offers a four-pitch mix—a fastball that sits between 94 and 96 mph and has topped out at 99 mph. Cutter (88–91 mph), slider (81–85 mph), and changeup (85–87 mph). He projects as a possible back-end starter or a bulk-inning pitcher, according to SoxProspects.
