Eleven seasons after making his major league debut, David Peralta might be best described as a professional hitter. As clichéd (and by definition daft) as that label is, that's pretty much what the 37-year-old San Diego Padres outfielder is at this stage of his career. A reliable left-handed bat now with his fourth team — most of his time came with the Arizona Diamondbacks — Peralta is slashing .268/.327/.439 with six home runs and a 118 wRC+ on the current campaign. His career numbers are essentially the same. In over 1,200 games and 4,492 plate appearances, the native of Valencia, Venezuela has a .279/.334/.449 slash line to go along with 123 home runs and a 109 wRC+.
Peralta talked about hitting when the Padres visited Fenway Park earlier this season.
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David Laurila: How different is the batsman now compared to when you got to the big leagues?
David Peralta: “I'm different now, because every year, every day, you learn something to get better, how to face the game, how to face the play. That is especially true now. When I was first drafted, in 2014, you didn't see many guys throwing 99-100 mph. Now that's normal. So, it's a different approach that you have to have.”
Laurila: Have there been any significant changes over the years?
Peralta: “I've always been light and short, but I tried at the same time in my career to change my equipment. It worked for a while and then stopped working.”
Laurila: When was this?
Peralta: “In 2022, at the beginning of the season, I started doing something different with Michael Brantley. I started hitting the way he was acting. Again, it worked for a while, but then for some reason I got out of that and never got them again. I ended up going back to my mechanic. You have to know what kind of player you are, what kind of hitter you are. I know I'm not a homebody. I'm a hitter, so I have to fix things that way.”
Laurila: Brantley has also never been a home run player. What did he do that you tried to imitate?
Peralta: “It was a lot about the setup. In the past, I have been hit on the leg which took time to lower my foot. What I did with him was to try to do a toe-tap and my foot came down in front the way he did, so that [have] more time to see the pitch and drive the ball. Like I said, it was working very well. I remember in spring training I had a bunch of homers without even trying. I was consistent with my approach, but in the second half of the season for some reason it didn't work. Then I ended up with back surgery.”
Laurila: What were you hearing mechanically that was not allowing you to raise baseballs? Were you out of rhythm?
Peralta: “Yes. That was the whole problem. I lost my rhythm and I couldn't find it because I was doing something new. I decided, 'OK, that's not me' and went back to what I've been doing my whole career.”
Laurila: Do your hands always start in the same place?
Peralta: “No. I started by slowly increasing my work, I gradually decreased them. When I had my best year, in 2018 when I hit 30 home runs, my hands were low and I was lifting the ball a lot. I didn't try to hit 30 homers. This just happened.”
Laurila: Do you think balls could do that? I have had many pitchers tell me that they vary from year to year, and even in the same season.
Peralta: “I don't know, but I do know that they keep changing baseball. Right now, sometimes you hit the ball too hard and it doesn't go anywhere. Maybe football – I don't know – but I try not to think too much about those things. I just work for myself.”
Laurila: He mentioned all the pacers they have to face in today's game. The breakables are getting worse and worse. As a hitter, how do you deal with that?
Peralta: “They are corrupt. You see all those who come and those who cut and sweep. Everything. Opposing that is a trick. The hard part of baseball. You have to make adjustments. That's what we're working on [on] every day, making everything easier and having the right way to get good results.
“As a hitter, you have to know what your strengths are and what you want. You should be disciplined [say]'Okay, here's what I want to swing at.' It's all about swing decisions, and you have to be on time to see the ball properly. If you arrive on time, you will make better decisions because you see the ball better.”
Laurila: Are there any players on this Padres team that you feel like? It's not so much the level of talent, but rather going or swinging?
Peralta: “I think everyone is different. But like I always say, if you're on time you'll make better decisions to hit the ball. That's everyone's thought. But everyone looks at it differently because everyone has different strengths. Some people like different balls or want them in a different place. Some boys like to pull the ball [Jurickson] Profar. He is good at pulling the ball. [Luis] Arraez likes to put the ball all over the place. “
Laurila: Arraez clearly likes to let the ball go deep…
Peralta: “That's because he has confidence in his hands and knows what he can do. He has the ability to hit the ball everywhere, but not all guys can do that. Some guys like to hit the ball more in front to drive it better. I like to let it go. That way I can see the ball deeper and make better decisions.”
Laurila: What about the year you hit 30 home runs?
Peralta: “Same thing. Like I said, if you let it go you can see the ball more and have more time. The ball will travel this way, so if you hit it forward, the ball is still going and you may miss. Just a little space to let go so I can hit the ball better. I am short and quick in my approach. I don't have a long swing. I am very beautiful. I've always been that way.”
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Previous “Talks Hitting” interviews can be found at these links: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley , Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers , Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O'Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancar Semien Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling , Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis.
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