Senger David Peralta Guerreiro (born August 14, 1987) nicknamed "Freight Train" is a Venezuelan

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who is a free agent. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

in 2014. He won the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

in 2018 and the Gold Glove Award in 2019. The Diamondbacks traded Peralta to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

in 2022.

Early life

David Peralta was born on August 14, 1987 in

Valencia, Venezuela Valencia () is the capital city of Carabobo State and the third-largest city in Venezuela. The city is an economic hub that contains Venezuela's top industries and manufacturing companies. It is also the largest city in the Valencia-Maracay m ...

where he grew up with two sisters, Ivonne and Erika. His father is also named David Peralta, and his mother is Diocelina Peralta.

Career

Early career

Peralta started his career as a pitcher in the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

organization, having signed with the team in 2004 for a $35,000 bonus. After numerous injuries and two shoulder surgeries, the Cardinals released Peralta in May 2009. Peralta then played as an outfielder in

independent baseball Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings,

Wichita Wingnuts The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball. An expansion franchise in the 2008 seas ...

, and

Amarillo Sox The Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly known as the Amarillo Sox, were a professional minor league baseball team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, an independent baseball ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 3, 2013, Peralta signed with the

. Peralta was called up to the majors for the first time on June 1, 2014. He made his major league debut that day. He tied a Diamondbacks record by recording 7 multi-hit games in his first 15 games, hitting .328 with one home run and two RBIs. 2015 was a breakout season for Peralta, who hit .312 and racked up 17 home runs and an NL-leading 10 triples as the Diamondbacks' primary left fielder. Peralta played in 48 games for the Diamondbacks in 2016, hitting .251/.295/.433 with 4 home runs and 43 hits in 171 at-bats. In 2017 with Arizona, Peralta played in 140 games for the club, batting .293/.352/.444 with 154 hits and 14 home runs in 525 at-bats. In 2018, Peralta hit .293/.352/.516 in 146 games for the Diamondbacks, with a career high 164 hits and a career high 30 home runs. Peralta was awarded the

Silver Slugger The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

award at the end of the season. In 2019, Peralta batted .275/.343/.461 in 99 games for Arizona, with 105 hits and 12 home runs. He was awarded the

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

award at the end of the season. Peralta would continue his success offensively in the 2020 season, hitting an even .300 with 5 home runs and finishing second on the team in RBI with 34. On May 14, 2021, Peralta made his pitching debut, allowing 3 runs in an inning during a blowout loss versus the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. In the appearance, he notched his first major league strikeout, punching out Nationals outfielder

Yadiel Hernández Yadiel Hernández (born October 9, 1987) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. After playing in the Cuban National Series for Cocodrilos de Matanzas, he played in Major League Baseball (ML ...

. In 2021, Peralta batted .259/.325/.402 with 8 home runs and 63 RBIs. He was tied for the major league lead with eight triples.

Tampa Bay Rays

On July 30, 2022, Peralta was traded to the

in exchange for Christian Cerda. Peralta singled twice on October 1, 2022, versus

Cristian Javier Cristian Javier (born March 26, 1997) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Javier signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015 and made his MLB debut in 2020. During ...

of the Houston Astros to earn his 1,000th career hit.

Personal life

Peralta's wife Jordan gave birth to their first child in August 2017.

References

External links

David Peralta
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peralta, David 1987 births Living people Amarillo Thunderheads players Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Bravos de Margarita players Gold Glove Award winners Johnson City Cardinals players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Mobile BayBears players Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from Valencia, Venezuela Tampa Bay Rays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Visalia Rawhide players Wichita Wingnuts players