Brewers Know Consistent Freddy Peralta Is Big Reason For Their Success

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta throws to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug.12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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Freddy Peralta and the Milwaukee Brewers hear the question often.

How do the Brewers continue to thrive despite playing in the smallest television market in Major League Baseball? Even with that limitation, the Brewers are almost certainly going to play in the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.

The Brewers’ 89-56 record is the best in baseball, and they hold a 7 1/2-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central with 17 games remaining. The magic number for the Brewers to reach the playoffs is down to three.

How Do Small-Market Brewers Thrive?

So, how are the Brewers competitive every year despite the sport’s finances seemingly being stacked against them?

“At the end of the day, we’re all playing the same game when we’re on the field,” said Peralta, the Brewers’ ace right-handed pitcher. “Small markets, big markets, it doesn’t matter who you play. We might not have all those big horses that some other teams have, but we do whatever needs to be done to win a game, and we do it the right way.

“We just keep going, keep grinding. I think we do (grinding) well. We just try to play steady and smooth baseball every night, and that works for us.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy likes to call his team a collection of “Average Joes.” Indeed, the Brewers do not have a lot of nationally recognizable names on their roster.

Brewers Can Count On Freddy Peralta

However, what they have in Peralta is one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the major leagues. Since making his debut in 2018 with a 13-strikeout game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Peralta has a 69-41 record and 3.57 ERA in 207 games (158 starts) over eight seasons.

The 29-year-old has had double-digit victories in four of the last five seasons and is having his best year yet in 2025.

Peralta’s record is 16-5 to go with a 2.50 ERA through 29 starts, tying New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried and Carlos Rodon for the most wins in MLB. The wins are also a career high and the most by a Brewers pitcher since Zach Davies had 17 in 2017.

Most impressively, Peralta has been at his best in the homestretch of the season. Peralta takes a 29-inning scoreless streak, which has spanned six games, into his scheduled start on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

“He’s been so consistent for so long and even more so this season,” Murphy said. “He’s been such a pillar. It’s his best performance yet for us, it really is. He’s really been special this year.”

Freddy Peralta Came To Brewers Without Fanfare

Peralta was just 19 years old and hadn’t pitched above the rookie-ball level when he and two other Seattle Mariners minor-leaguers were acquired by the Brewers for first baseman/outfielder Adam Lind at the Winter Meetings following the 2015 season.

Peralta wasn’t considered a top prospect. Yet 10 years later, he is anchoring the Brewers rotation while Lind last played in the big leagues in 2017.

Murphy says Peralta hasn’t become a two-time All-Star, including being voted into this year’s game in Atlanta, by accident.

“When you think back about Freddy, a lot of guys come up and have good stuff, have some success,” Murphy said. “But how can you tell when someone is on the path to being a frontline guy, especially in this case, where he wasn’t necessarily the super top prospect?

“I think the thing that has separated him in the last few years is what he does between starts to be ready to compete. The consistency of his stuff this year has been remarkable, too, and the pitching coaches and everybody involved with the pitching get a lot of credit. (Catcher) William Contreras gets a lot of credit.

“But Freddy himself, if you get to know Freddy, you’ll realize that he is the right guy, and you pull for the guy like that,” Murphy added. “His teammates love him. He builds off that energy. They build off his energy.”

Peralta and the Brewers have been a great match, which is why he signed a six-year, $22-million contract before the 2020 season. The Brewers also hold an $8-million option on Peralta in 2026, which they seem sure to exercise at the end of this season.

It should be a straightforward decision in the aftermath of an excellent season for the team and the player. Peralta knows it’s been a magical year.

“I’ve been putting in the same work, I’ve been doing the same routine, and I kind of know my body pretty well,” Peralta said. “I don’t know why, but for some reason, everything is just connecting for me this year. It’s been awesome. Everything has been going in the right direction.”

Murphy has a simple explanation for Peralta’s success.

“Good things happen to good people,” Murphy said.

Peralta is also a good man when it comes to community service endeavors. He was a finalist for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award, which is presented annually by MLB to the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

With the funding he received as part of that honor, Peralta spent last offseason lending a helping hand in his hometown of Moca, Dominican Republic. He aided in rebuilding a local church, donated sporting equipment to local schools, and packed and delivered food necessities to struggling households throughout the community.

Peralta also works with the Marine Credit Union in Milwaukee on various community projects.

“I grew up in a small town and I know everybody there and people know me, too,” Freddy Peralta said. “I grew up being taught always to help others. My parents did such a good job raising us, and (charity work) is something that I have in me. It’s something I want to keep doing in the future, too. I want to help people at home and in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.”