Minnesota Twins: José Berríos has arrived
The Minnesota Twins have started the 2018 season strong. The starting rotation has played a huge role in the teams early success.
The Minnesota Twins made significant moves to upgrade the starting rotation. Although Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi have pitched well to start the season, José Berríos has quickly emerged into the ace of this pitching staff. Berríos has been unbelievable on the mound through his first four starts.
He has a 1.63 ERA in 27 2/3 innings pitched with 29 strikeouts. As good as those numbers are, it gets better with Berríos when you look at his command of the strike zone. Berríos has walked only one batter to start this season and leads MLB with an eye-popping .578 WHIP.
What this means for the Twins
Ervin Santana is still working his way back from finger surgery and his return will give the Minnesota Twins a formidable rotation. Let’s not forget about Kyle Gibson, who is a good pitcher in his own right. The emergence of Berríos as a legitimate top of the rotation pitcher will allow Minnesota to take their time bringing Santana back.
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The Minnesota Twins need to sign Berríos to a long-term deal as soon as possible. Berríos turns 24 in May and his current hit streak dates back farther than his last four starts. He came on strong to close the 2017 season and helped Minnesota reach the postseason.
Berríos has the look of a pitcher that has figured it out and has that “it” factor. Watching him pitch in his homeland of Puerto Rico will be the highlight of the 2018 season for me. Not only did he retire the last 16 batters he faced, but he also owned the moment the entire night.
This is the type of player you hitch your wagon to as an organization. He’s young, and immensely talented, and has the hunger to be not only good but great. Berríos has the potential to live up to those lofty expectations and the Twins need to make sure it happens in the Twin Cities.
Next: Taking a look at the Puerto Rico series
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