Wingnuts Sign Talented Ex-Teammates

May 1, 2012 - American Association (AA) Wichita Wingnuts WICHITA, KS- The Wichita Wingnuts made three major additions to their roster on Monday, signing outfielder David Peralta, as well as pitchers Edgar Martinez and Luis Chirinos.

The trio played together with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings last season, helping the club reach the North American League Championship Series.

In his first season as a position player, Peralta hit a remarkable .392 to capture the North American League batting title. Peralta also hit 17 home runs, and ranked fourth in the NABL with 81 RBI in just 85 games played. A left-handed hitter and fielder, Peralta scored 76 runs, slugged 30 doubles, and finished third in the league with a .661 slugging percentage. Peralta had at least one hit in 68 of his 85 games, and collected multiple safeties in 44 of them. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Peralta opened the season with a 14-game hitting streak in which he was 25 for 55 (.455), and went back-to-back games without a hit just four times all year. At the end of the season, Peralta earned North American League All-Star honors and added six more RBI for Rio Grande Valley in four playoff games.

"David will more than likely be our Opening Night right fielder," said Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper. He is a great baseball story who is coming off of a tremendous season. He was a pitcher in the past and only started hitting professionally last year, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. He is very valuable to us as a rookie who can contribute on a day-to-day basis. I'm really looking forward to watching him play."

Peralta originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 as an international free agent. The Carabodo, Venezuela native made his stateside debut in 2006 with the Appalachian League's Johnson City Cardinals where he was 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in two starts and one relief outing. The 24-year-old returned to Johnson City the following season and posted a 1-5 record with a 5.81 ERA in eight starts and seven relief appearances. Peralta has 64 strikeouts in 62.2 professional innings pitched.

Martinez led the NABL with 20 saves and was named Relief Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander had a 2.48 ERA in 31 appearances totaling 32.2 innings. Martinez struck out 60 batters--an average of 16.5 per nine innings--against a mere six walks, and did not allow an earned run in 26 of his 31 outings. The Valencia, Venezuela native held a 0.00 ERA through his first 14 games, and strung together nine more appearances without allowing an earned run from July 16th-August 17th.

"Edgar is a guy that will add a lot of experience to our bullpen," said Hooper. He has an outstanding resume and will give us another great option at the tail end of ballgames. He has significant time in Triple-A and was also a member of Boston's 40-man roster, which speaks to his ability. I'm excited to see what he can bring to the table for us."

Like Peralta, Martinez changed positions earlier in his career. The 30-year old signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 1998, and started his professional career as a catcher. Martinez demonstrated his arm strength for six seasons behind the plate (he owns a 37% caught stealing rate in 291 games at catcher) before completing his transition to the mound in late-2004.

Now in his 13th pro season, Martinez has a career 3.75 ERA with 43 saves in 235 appearances. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Martinez has logged 417.1 innings with 371 strikeouts and only 356 hits allowed. Martinez reached Double-A in just his second year as a pitcher, and spent all of 2007 and 2008 with Triple-A Pawtucket. Martinez participated for the World team in the 2006 Futures Game, and was on the Red Sox' 40-man roster from 2005-2007.

Chirinos was one of the top starting pitchers in the NABL last year. Another right-hander, Chirinos was 4-2 in 18 total games and ranked fourth in the league with a 3.95 ERA. Chirinos also finished fifth with 93 strikeouts and allowed just 75 hits in 82.0 innings of work. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, Chirinos pitched at least 5.0 innings in eight of his 11 starts, and racked up at least five strikeouts in nine of them. From June 4th-16th, Chirinos made three consecutive starts in which he did not allow an earned run, and went on to finish the season by not allowing an earned run in three playoff games.

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Wingnuts Sign Talented Ex-Teammates