Is Wandy Peralta the Padres’ White Flag or is he being misused?

If you’ve watched enough Padres games this season, you’ve likely sighed at the sight of Wandy Peralta jogging in from the bullpen. For many fans, his entrance has come to symbolize surrender — the proverbial white flag in a tight game. But is that fair?

Let’s take a data-driven look at Wandy Peralta’s Padres bullpen performance in 2025 and determine whether he’s really the problem — or just a scapegoat in an up-and-down season.

Note: All of the following stats were collected after Wednesday’s loss to Los Angeles.

Through 30 appearances, Peralta’s 2025 stat line reads:

ERA: 4.20
FIP: 3.85
WHIP: 1.47
K%: 17.9% (below MLB avg of 22.4%)
BB%: 11.2% (above MLB avg of 8.5%)
Groundball Rate: 58.9% (elite)
WAR: 0.0 (Baseball-Ref), 0.1 (Fangraphs)

His results aren’t catastrophic. But he’s walking too many batters, striking out too few, and putting pressure on the defense to clean up his messes. That’s a bad combination — especially when he’s being deployed in higher-leverage spots than he probably should be.

According to Baseball-Reference, Peralta’s gmLI (leverage index) is 1.10 — above league average. He’s often being used in close or high-stakes moments, a role that amplifies every mistake.

But Peralta’s struggles with inherited runners and tight late-game situations are well-documented:

WHIP with RISP: 2.54 (league avg ≈ 1.40–1.50)
WHIP with 2 outs: 2.03 (league avg ≈ 1.40)
WHIP with bases loaded: 6.00 (league avg ≈ 2.00–2.50)

That’s not bad luck. That’s usage misalignment.

Among all regular relievers, Wandy Peralta has the worst WHIP and walk rate. He also carries the lowest WAR (0.0), making him the clear outlier in a bullpen that otherwise ranks among MLB’s best.

Batted Ball Profile: His average exit velocity (87.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (33.7%) are better than league average. That means hitters aren’t crushing him.
BABIP (.290) is near league average (.295), suggesting no major luck swings.
WPA (-0.3) and RE24 (-3.00) confirm that he’s hurting the team’s win chances in key situations, even if the damage doesn’t always show in ERA.

This isn’t just a slump. It’s a regression to the mean. During his time with the Yankees (2021–2023), Peralta posted:

• ERA under 3.20 each season

• WAR totals of 0.9, 1.1, and 1.4

• Consistent K% around 21–22%

Now? All those key numbers are dropping. His 2025 K% (17.9%) is the lowest since 2018. His walk rate is up, and he’s been barely replacement level by WAR.

That’s not random — it’s a trend.

To fairly evaluate Wandy Peralta’s Padres bullpen performance, it’s important to know what these key pitching metrics mean — and how to interpret them:

FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching)
Measures what a pitcher can control: strikeouts, walks, home runs.

• Good: < 3.50 | Average: 3.50–4.20 | Poor: > 4.20

• Wandy’s FIP: 3.85 (Average)

WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched)
Tells how many baserunners a pitcher allows per inning.

• Good: < 1.20 | Average: 1.20–1.35 | Poor: > 1.35

• Wandy’s WHIP: 1.47 (Poor)

gmLI (Game-Entering Leverage Index)
Measures the pressure of the situation when a pitcher enters.

• Low: < 0.85 | Average: 0.85–1.00 | High: > 1.00

• Wandy’s gmLI: 1.10 (High-Leverage situations)

BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play)
Reflects how many batted balls fall for hits (excluding HRs, Ks).

• Normal range: .280–.300

• High BABIP can suggest bad luck or poor defense.

• Wandy’s BABIP: .290 (Neutral — no luck effect)

WPA (Win Probability Added)
Measures how much a pitcher increases or decreases win chances.

• Positive WPA = helping team win

• Negative WPA = hurting team in key moments

• Wandy’s WPA: -0.3 (Hurting team slightly in leverage)

RE24 (Run Expectancy Value)
Tracks how a pitcher performs vs. league average in specific base-out situations.

• Positive RE24 = better than average

• 0 = league average

• Negative = costing runs

• Wandy’s RE24: -3.00 (Poor situational performance)

After a disastrous May (7.62 ERA, 2.23 WHIP), Peralta bounced back in June (3.38 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). That’s encouraging — but he’s still issuing too many free passes, and the Padres seem unwilling (or unable) to put him in lower-leverage spots where he might thrive.

Unless his command stabilizes and his strikeout rate ticks back up, he’s likely to remain a fringe bullpen piece, not a core contributor.

Uh oh, Wandy Peralta is on the mound

We’re getting blown out

— Monster Stack Wizard (@MStackWiz) June 14, 2025

So, is Wandy Peralta the Padres’ white flag?

Not exactly.
He’s not awful — just miscast.

Peralta still has value — but only in the right situations. When used to start a clean inning, he can induce ground balls, limit hard contact, and keep the game under control. But when inserted mid-inning with runners on base or tasked with shutting down the middle of the opposing lineup, the results speak for themselves.

One thing is clear from watching his 2025 performances: Peralta performs significantly better when starting an inning than when inheriting trouble. The data backs this up — and his outing Friday night against the Diamondbacks was a textbook example.

Called on to open the bottom of the 7th inning in a 5–1 game, Peralta delivered a clean, efficient frame: 15 pitches (11 strikes), no hits, no walks, no damage. He faced the minimum.

He began the inning by inducing a weak groundout from Geraldo Perdomo, mixing sinkers with a sharp changeup that kept hitters off balance. He then struck out Josh Naylor swinging on a nasty slider-changeup combo before retiring Eugenio Suárez on a flyout with a well-located 94 mph sinker.

Pitch Mix Breakdown (June 14):

• Sinker: 94–95 mph, located low and arm-side

• Slider: 85–87 mph, used effectively to both lefties and righties

• Changeup: 86–88 mph, deployed in early and finishing counts

• Location: Kept pitches down, limited hard contact

In that inning, Peralta threw first-pitch strikes to two of three hitters, generated four whiffs, and gave up no hard contact — precisely the kind of inning you want from a middle reliever starting fresh.

Unfortunately, the Padres haven’t consistently used him this way. According to Baseball-Reference, his gmLI (game-entry leverage index) is 1.10 — indicating he’s often brought into high-leverage situations. That’s not playing to his strengths. And the results bear it out:

• WHIP with runners in scoring position: 2.54

• WHIP with 2 outs: 2.03

• WHIP with bases loaded: 6.00

That’s not random variance — it’s a role misalignment.

This isn’t a guy who should be cleaning up someone else’s mess. This is a pitcher who can still succeed — when given the chance to control his own mess from the start.

It’s also possible the Padres are intentionally using Peralta in these tough mid-inning spots with the hope that he can induce a double play. His 58.9% groundball rate ranks among the league’s best, and his sinker is designed to generate weak contact — particularly on the ground. From a strategic standpoint, deploying a left-handed sinkerballer to escape a jam with one pitch makes theoretical sense.

However, that plan hasn’t worked out in practice. Peralta’s command issues — highlighted by an 11.2% walk rate — undermine the double play strategy by adding unnecessary baserunners. His WHIP with runners in scoring position (2.54) and with the bases loaded (6.00) show that these situations often spiral out of control rather than being cleaned up. He’s simply not getting enough strikeouts to offset the damage when the grounder doesn’t come.

The intent behind his usage might be logical. But the execution — and the results — have not aligned.

Bottom Line

Padres fans aren’t wrong to be frustrated — but the frustration might be better directed at roster construction and bullpen usage than at Wandy Peralta himself.

His performance in 2025 has been subpar, but not disastrous. The tools are still there. The sinker still moves. The changeup still fools hitters. The slider still gets whiffs.

Used correctly, he’s salvageable.
Used recklessly, he’s a fire hazard.

Data sources: Fangraphs, Baseball Savant, and Baseball-Reference.

J.J. Rodriguez

J.J. Rodriguez is a passionate sports writer making his debut with East Village Times. Born and raised in Southwest Florida, he is a father of four and an eight-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran who has lived in Southern California since 1996. A devoted fan of the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Florida Gators, J.J. brings a lifetime of sports enthusiasm to his writing. He’s currently pursuing a degree in elementary education and enjoys life as an empty-nester with his wife of 19 years, Lisa.