Quick Summary: Freddy Peralta has trouble late in games, often because of the pitch he picks to start an at-bat. He throws a four-seam fastball 54% of the time. Since 2023, his four-seam fastball speed has been below average at 94.3 mph, ranking 172nd among pitchers. This has let opponents hit the ball better. They have seen his four-seam fastball 76 times since 2023, sixth most in the league year, and are hitting .298 against it when it is the first pitch. The fastball’s poor results have increased his pitch count to 17 per inning, the seventh-highest since 2023.

Over the last 3+ seasons, Freddy Peralta has struggled to pitch deep into games, averaging 5-6 innings per start across 559.1 innings in 103 starts since 2023.

The 0-0 Count: A Fastball Reliance Problem

Freddy Peralta’s difficulty pitching late into games is linked to his frequent use of the four-seam fastball to start at-bats. Over the past 3+ seasons, he has used this pitch 1,239 times to open a plate appearance, about 54% of the time, and accumulated 630 strikes, the third most among his pitches since 2023.

However, beneath the surface, there are red flags. Of his first-pitch strikes, 48.2% of the fastballs have been located in the Shadow Zone, which refers to the edges of the strike zone. He is locating these pictures in the Shadow zone partly due to his below-average fastball velocity of 94.3 mph (172nd among all pitchers).

The Rise of Competitive Swings

Despite doing his best to walk the tightrope of keeping the fastball out of harm’s way and throwing a strike, opposing teams are still able to take quality swings against the pitch. Opposing teams have accumulated 297 competitive swings in these situations since 2023. It is the eighth-highest competitive swings total during this time frame.

What is a Competitive Swing?

According to Baseball Savant, a competitive swing can be defined as follows.

The fastest 90% of a player’s swings, plus any 60+ MPH swings resulting in an exit velocity of 90+ MPH, are deemed to be his ‘competitive’ swings.

This high frequency of competitive swings has allowed opponents to square up 76 four-seam fastballs with a 0-0 count since 2023. It is the sixth most in the league, leading to opponents hitting .298 against his first-pitch four-seamer with 6 home runs.

Efficiency and Pitch Counts

The limited success of his early-count four-seam fastball has resulted in a high pitch-per-inning average. Since 2023, he has averaged 17.4 pitches per inning (7th highest), reaching about 87 pitches in five innings.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, Freddy Peralta will continue to struggle going deep into games because of his heavy reliance on the four-seam fastball pitch type. He has thrown a total of 5,155 four-seam fastballs since 2023. This pitch makes up 53% of his total pitches.

Given his pitch selection and limited velocity, acquiring him by trade or a long-term contract may not be advisable. During the 2026 spring training, the New York Mets discussed a contract extension with Freddy Peralta’s agent.

More recently, the New York Mets have begun exploring his trade value after falling eight games under .500. In light of this, the Chicago Cubs have been among the teams to express interest in acquiring his services.