Full Name: Nelson Ernesto Pereira
Born: Feb 12,1989 in San Salvador, El Salvador
Height: 5-11 Weight: 180 Bats: Left Throws: Left
2008 Pirates (R ) 6-2, 1.62, 46-K, 50.0-IP
2009 Pirates (A-) 4-5, 4.35, 56-K, 49.2-IP
Pereira, 21, posted a 3.74 FIP in 49.2 innings for Single-A West Virginia last season.
From Bucs Blog: - "With all of the trades, drafted players, and international signs the last two years, we have limited opportunities for many talented players. Ultimately we have decided to give those innings to other pitchers. While Nelson had performed well at the lower levels, we must allocate innings based on what we think a pitcher is going to do rather than just what he has done. A left-handed pitcher with a changeup is going to have significant success against young hitters and that is what Nelson did."
Pereira, in case you don't recall, is a lefty pitcher who put himself on the map with some great numbers as a 19-year-old in rookie ball in 2008. The Pirates moved him up to State College in 2009, and he struck out more than a batter an inning as a 20-year-old. Normally, a lefty who can succeed at any level in the states at ages 19 and 20 is worth holding onto. However, Pereira struggled with his control, is an extreme flyball pitcher, and doesn't throw hard. Essentially, he's the archetype of the pitcher who can succeed in the low minors but not at the higher levels, where hitters have plate discipline and power. He's also exactly the kind of pitcher the Pirates under Huntington seem totally uninterested in--think of Todd Redmond, who's similar in many ways and who was sent to the Braves for Tyler Yates not long after Huntington arrived. WTM writes a bit here about some of the changes he's seeing in the low minors--now, their pitchers all throw hard.
Ultimately, releasing him is a judgment call that can be debated, and I'm not really sure why the Bucs didn't make him a reliever. But the fact that they were even in a position to jettison a player like this speaks volumes about the improved depth in the farm system. It would not surprise me if Pereira caught on with another team and pitched very well in Class A somewhere, thus sending Bucs fans into fits of rage, but the Pirates already have a ton of interesting pitchers at the Class A level, and for a player like Pereira, Class A performance probably won't translate well to good performance at the higher levels. I don't mean to frame this in an entirely positive way, but still--I don't think there's any way the Pirates could have released a player like this even a year ago.
Fron BuccoFans.com: - This is a surprising move in my opinion. I really liked Pereira. Pereira struggled in his first 12 innings at State College last year, with an 11.25 ERA and a 16:11 K/BB ratio. In his next 37.2 innings, he posted a 2.15 ERA and a 40:17 K/BB ratio. Pereira had a 2.62 ERA in 123.2 innings in the Venezuelan Summer League, with a 7.1 K/9, and a 2.58 K/BB ratio. In 2008 he pitched 50 innings in the GCL with a 1.62 ERA, an 8.2 K/9, and a 4.60 K/BB.
From The Green Weenie in 2009: Nelson Pereira, 20, is a little lefty - 5-11, 180 pounds - who was signed in 2006 as a 17 year-old out of El Salvador. Yes, an actual Dave Littlefield Latino prospect! After a couple of solid seasons in the Venezuelan Summer league, the Bucs promoted him to Bradenton in 2008. And hey, he did pretty well. He was 6-2 with a 1.62 ERA. Pereira averaged a little over 8 K's per nine innings, and under two walks with a WHIP of 1.02. Pereira was named a Gulf-League All Star after leading the circuit in ERA, and The Baseball Analysts rated him as the top rookie league prospect for Pittsburgh. Baseball America tabbed him as the #30 prospect in the Pirate organization. But his line wasn't so hot at State College last season - 4-5 with a 4.35 ERA in 49-2/3 innings pitched, with a 10.1 K/9, a 5.1 BB/9, and a 1.39 WHIP. But that didn't dim his aura too badly. Pereira struggled early on, but was gangbusters during the last two months of the season. After his first five appearances, he had an 11.25 ERA; it was 2.15 in his last ten. Baseball America reports that he has a good curve and change, and an adequate fastball that's in the mid-to-high 80s, touching 90. The 411 on Periera is that he's a lefty that can miss bats. One red flag is that he's a fly-ball pitcher, even though his home run rate is pretty good, giving up one bomb every 14 frames. Another is his bloated 2009 walk rate, a sign that his stuff is nasty, but patient batters are waiting him out. If he can get into pitchers' counts and build up his stamina (he's never thrown more than 65-2/3 innings, and that was in 2007 with the VSL), he has the potential to become a mid-to-back end starter.Pereira has moved steadily up the ladder so far, a step at a time, and is line to pitch at West Virginia next season.
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