Reliever: Joel Peralta (2011-2014)
The Tampa Bay Rays have had a very good run in recent years of finding solid setup men and being able to piece together a strong bullpen. Joel Peralta was another one of those pieces.
Peralta’s story is one of perseverance. He did not reach the Majors until he was 29 years old, and split the 2009 and 2010 seasons between the Majors and the minors. The Rays picked him up for $900,000 prior to the 2011 season, and he turned out to be quite the bargain in the bullpen.
A durable arm, Peralta led the American League with 80 appearances in 2013, and despite an illness that sidelined him for a month in 2014, never appeared in fewer than 69 games in a season. That 2014 campaign was the only one of his years in Tampa Bay where he did not rank in the top two in appearances, as Peralta proved to be a dependable option for the Rays.
During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Peralta posted a 3.58 ERA and a 1.054 WHiP, recording 115 holds and striking out 293 batters in 269.1 innings. He displayed tremendous command, issuing only 84 walks in that time. In fact, the only real problem that Peralta faced was his tendency to give up the home run, as he gave up 32 homers with the Rays.
Joel Peralta was yet another of the many scrap heap free agents that the Tampa Bay Rays have signed over the years. He did quite a wonderful job during his time in Tampa Bay.