There were 43 pitches thrown at 100 mph or harder during the 2025 Arizona Fall League. Luis Perales was responsible for 20 of them.
If there were any concerns about how the velocity would bounce back for the Red Sox's No. 9 prospect following Tommy John surgery in June 2024, those were quickly quelled during his turn with the Salt River Rafters.
Perales made his return to game action this September, making three brief appearances between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Add in the fact that he’ll turn 23 next April, and the Venezuela native is knocking on the door of Fenway Park.
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But he’s far from a finished product.
Perales led Salt River with 15.1 K/9 and finished in the circuit's Top 10 with 19 strikeouts, while consistently showing off his premium velocity – which maxed out at 101.1 mph. But he also ran into issues with walks and hard contact, which led to a 10.32 ERA across his six appearances.
“I think the biggest thing for him is to attack hitters, make them put the ball in play,” said Salt River manager Eric Patterson. “I know strikeouts are a big thing now, but I think sometimes these guys get caught up in trying to strike guys out on strike one. It's like, ‘Hey man, if we continue to stick in the zone, you will get your strikeouts.’ It's pounding the zone, focus probably more so on getting outs, and striking people out and all that stuff will take care of itself.”
Ultimately, the Fall League was an (abbreviated) six-start spin against some of the best offensive prospects the sport has to offer. The biggest takeaway was summed up best by Patterson, who got to watch Perales from field level each time he took the mound:
“He goes about his work the right way, has an idea of what he wants to do," Patterson said. "Electric arm, really good stuff.”
Here’s how the rest of Boston’s farmhands fared in the Fall League:
Nelly Taylor, OF (No. 17): Taylor’s above-average run tool carried some heft entering the AFL and he got to show it off, successfully swiping all seven bags he attempted. While he impressed defensively in center field, it was a challenging run offensively, as he batted just .139 with 19 strikeouts in 36 at-bats.
Johanfran Garcia, C (No. 28): Garcia’s older brother, Jhostynxon, made waves this season by crushing his way through the Minors en route to debuting in Boston as a Top 100 overall prospect. The Fall League was time for Johanfran to shine, which he did with his similarly elite exit velocities, hitting eight balls north of 106 mph (topping out at 112.3) and posting a .738 OPS with 10 RBIs in 19 games. He also got to work with Perales and a whole host of upper-level pitchers from other organizations.
Jay Allmer, RHP: The 6-foot-6 reliever from Seton Hall went undrafted last summer, but impressed enough during a run as the closer for the Frederick Keys (2.14 ERA, eight saves) of the MLB Draft League to earn a pro opportunity. It’s a limited swing-and-miss profile (30 strikeouts in 53 1/3 regular-season innings), which caught up with Allmer over his seven AFL outings. He walked nine of 29 batters faced, leading to a 10.80 ERA in a small sample size.
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Jojo Ingrassia, LHP: The 23-year-old made five appearances for Salt River and racked up 13 strikeouts across 10 innings, but also battled his command, issuing nine walks in the same span. The 2023 draftee has compiled 13.6 K/9 over parts of two Minor League campaigns and displayed an advanced feel for spin, which he also showcased in the AFL with seven pitches reaching at least 3,000 RPMs (including a 3,307 RPM slider) during his Oct. 16 outing.
Brandon Neely, RHP: The AFL marked Neely’s unofficial pro debut after forearm stiffness sidelined him since Boston made him a third-round selection in the 2024 Draft. The former University of Florida closer worked 10 frames for Salt River and racked up 11 strikeouts on the back of his four-pitch mix, but he was also knocked around for 16 hits and 14 runs (12 earned).
Isaac Stebens, RHP: After serving as High-A Greenville’s top reliever during the regular season, Stebens turned in a solid eight-appearance run with the Rafters. All three of his earned runs came in one appearance and he consistently generated weak contact, primarily keeping hitters off balance with his 92-94 mph sinking fastball and mid-80s slider/cutter hybrid.
Stanley Tucker, 2B/OF: Injuries have severely curtailed the start of Tucker’s professional career after Boston nabbed him in the 19th round of the 2023 Draft, but he got to make up for lost time by appearing in 24 games (tied for second-most in the AFL), all at second base. While serving as a defensive dynamo for Salt River, Tucker finished second on the club with 15 RBIs and led the way with 13 steals. He was one of only two players on the circuit to reach both of those thresholds.