Re: BlueJays Prospect News
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2023 9:20 am
Prelander Berroa news is heating up.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theathleti ... a/%3famp=1
PEORIA, Ariz. — Prelander Berroa’s first outing in a Cactus League game for the Mariners didn’t exactly qualify as a soft landing for the 22-year-old right-hander — and it wasn’t particularly close.
Berroa, who has impressed early in camp with his electric stuff, got to face fellow Dominican Republic countrymen Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz of the Padres on Friday.
A daunting proposition? You have no idea.
“I was a little nervous going up there because obviously these are guys that I grew up watching,” Berroa said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “But I kind of told myself that I do have to kind of keep my composure and go out there and do my job.”
Berroa did just that, working two scoreless innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Better still, he struck out Bogaerts and Cruz with his nasty slider in his first inning of work, which came in the third inning.
He allowed a single to Machado and a walk to Soto in the third but got out of the jam. He then worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning. His fastball sat between 94-98 mph and the slider was moving well.
“He’s got good stuff,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said after the game. “He has a history of being able to command the breaking ball. It’s a really good slider.”
Seattle catcher Tom Murphy was impressed with the action Berroa had on his slider.
The spin would tell you that it’s going to have more lateral movement than it does,” Murphy said. “And so that type of spin — and it’s just going straight down. It’s kind of a deceptive pitch for hitters to get used to.”
Berroa, who will turn 23 in April, has been opening eyes with his stuff ever since the Mariners traded for him on May 11, sending utility infielder Donovan Walton to the Giants. The trade was almost an immediate win for the Mariners, who had asked about Berroa in the past, only to be rebuffed by the Giants.
But, somewhat ironically, when now-Mariner Tommy La Stella landed on the Giants’ injured list, they needed some infield depth. They asked for Walton, who had become something of a metrics darling and someone who ZiPS had projected to be worth 1.7 WAR in 2022.
Walton didn’t really have a spot moving forward with the Mariners. When the Giants finally relented and offered up Berroa, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto jumped at the opportunity to land an intriguing arm in Berroa.
In his third appearance after the trade, Berroa struck out nine over five scoreless innings in a game on May 26. He took off from there. Once part of the Mariners’ organization, Berroa had 81 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings with a 2.37 ERA at High-A Everett before earning a promotion to Double-A Arkansas. In North Little Rock, he had a 4.37 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 35 innings. Chances are he’ll begin the season back in Arkansas.
The Mariners added Berroa to the 40-man roster this winter to keep him from getting poached in the Rule 5 draft, but the organization is also hopeful that he can eventually impact the big-league team. There’s a thought that he could end up a reliever, but the Mariners will allow him to continue to start for now.
Berroa’s fastball has impressive vertical movement. He changed the grip on his slider two seasons ago, which produced new, bigger movement on the pitch. Berroa used a changeup on occasion last season and he began to get a better feel for it late in the season.
Like many young pitchers, Berroa has had command issues (63 walks in 100 2/3 total innings in 2022) that he’ll need to iron out. But there’s still time for that to occur.
Berroa, who started out in the Twins’ organization before being traded to the Giants in 2019, might have found a permanent home with the Mariners at the rate he’s going.
“He has a history of throwing strikes, certainly with the breaking ball,” Servais said. “There’s a lot to like there and a lot of upside for him.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theathleti ... a/%3famp=1
PEORIA, Ariz. — Prelander Berroa’s first outing in a Cactus League game for the Mariners didn’t exactly qualify as a soft landing for the 22-year-old right-hander — and it wasn’t particularly close.
Berroa, who has impressed early in camp with his electric stuff, got to face fellow Dominican Republic countrymen Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz of the Padres on Friday.
A daunting proposition? You have no idea.
“I was a little nervous going up there because obviously these are guys that I grew up watching,” Berroa said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “But I kind of told myself that I do have to kind of keep my composure and go out there and do my job.”
Berroa did just that, working two scoreless innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Better still, he struck out Bogaerts and Cruz with his nasty slider in his first inning of work, which came in the third inning.
He allowed a single to Machado and a walk to Soto in the third but got out of the jam. He then worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning. His fastball sat between 94-98 mph and the slider was moving well.
“He’s got good stuff,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said after the game. “He has a history of being able to command the breaking ball. It’s a really good slider.”
Seattle catcher Tom Murphy was impressed with the action Berroa had on his slider.
The spin would tell you that it’s going to have more lateral movement than it does,” Murphy said. “And so that type of spin — and it’s just going straight down. It’s kind of a deceptive pitch for hitters to get used to.”
Berroa, who will turn 23 in April, has been opening eyes with his stuff ever since the Mariners traded for him on May 11, sending utility infielder Donovan Walton to the Giants. The trade was almost an immediate win for the Mariners, who had asked about Berroa in the past, only to be rebuffed by the Giants.
But, somewhat ironically, when now-Mariner Tommy La Stella landed on the Giants’ injured list, they needed some infield depth. They asked for Walton, who had become something of a metrics darling and someone who ZiPS had projected to be worth 1.7 WAR in 2022.
Walton didn’t really have a spot moving forward with the Mariners. When the Giants finally relented and offered up Berroa, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto jumped at the opportunity to land an intriguing arm in Berroa.
In his third appearance after the trade, Berroa struck out nine over five scoreless innings in a game on May 26. He took off from there. Once part of the Mariners’ organization, Berroa had 81 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings with a 2.37 ERA at High-A Everett before earning a promotion to Double-A Arkansas. In North Little Rock, he had a 4.37 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 35 innings. Chances are he’ll begin the season back in Arkansas.
The Mariners added Berroa to the 40-man roster this winter to keep him from getting poached in the Rule 5 draft, but the organization is also hopeful that he can eventually impact the big-league team. There’s a thought that he could end up a reliever, but the Mariners will allow him to continue to start for now.
Berroa’s fastball has impressive vertical movement. He changed the grip on his slider two seasons ago, which produced new, bigger movement on the pitch. Berroa used a changeup on occasion last season and he began to get a better feel for it late in the season.
Like many young pitchers, Berroa has had command issues (63 walks in 100 2/3 total innings in 2022) that he’ll need to iron out. But there’s still time for that to occur.
Berroa, who started out in the Twins’ organization before being traded to the Giants in 2019, might have found a permanent home with the Mariners at the rate he’s going.
“He has a history of throwing strikes, certainly with the breaking ball,” Servais said. “There’s a lot to like there and a lot of upside for him.”