Jose Berrios has had some early season struggles for the Minnesota Twins, but don’t give up on him yet, as there’s plenty of hope behind the painful start.
Three Reasons for Optimism for the Minnesota Twins’ Jose Berrios
- It would be easy to write off Jose Berrios at this point, but on closer examination it’s not all that bad. His 8.8 strike out per 9 innings average is still very good and on pace with previous successful seasons and is one of the best marks for the Minnesota Twins.
- The fastball velocity is still there, and it has even gone up from last year averaging a more than respectable 94.8 mph. His whiff % on all his pitches is also better or similar to last year.
- He’s mentally tough. The guy is an absolute workout warrior, and is driven to be the best he can be. He will not quit trying.
Jose Berrios’ biggest issue so far
Call it command or control, I prefer control. Jose’s walk rate is currently over double of where it has been when he’s had success. One of the most important ways to fix this is to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes.
His velocity numbers indicate he may be overthrowing his pitches. He’s trying too hard, pushing himself to be perfect. That can lead to sloppy mechanics (hence the control issues).
One indication of his control issues is opponents’ exit velocity is up significantly from what it was in the past. This is what happens when you fall behind in counts and have to come with something to hit.
There’s an old adage about getting ahead and staying ahead in the count. Jose has proven he is very capable of this in the past, so I’m expecting improvement in the upcoming starts.
I was worried Jose may have regressed, especially when you look at his results at face value. After digging a little deeper and looking at the numbers, I’m encouraged. I get the feeling a turn around is in store for the 2nd half of the season. If he can come on strong, perhaps it will help the case of NOT having to trade for an ace before playoffs.