Article: Fixing Jose Berrios

[Parker Hageman]

On Friday night in Kansas City Bert Blyleven described to viewers what he and the Twins’ coaching staff were working on with Jose Berrios in order to straighten him out.

 

“Right...there!” Blyleven exclaimed as Berrios delivered a fastball for strike three to the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson in the bottom of the first. It was a beautiful pitch that was beautifully executed by the rookie. “EXPLODE towards home plate,” he emphasized. As the replay of the strikeout rolled, Blyleven further elaborated by saying “once you get to that balance point, utilize the rubber and explode towards home plate” and that Berrios needed to “push off” the rubber more.

 

And just like that, Jose Berrios was fixed forever, right?For those who are able to see the embedded Twitter post, you can watch and listen to the entire conversation here:

 

Berrios, of course, came unglued shortly thereafter. He issued four walks and allowed four runs to score during his four innings of work. He either stopped exploding towards home plate or that wasn’t the pitching tip that was going to remedy what ails him.

 

Now, regular Twins broadcast viewers will recall this pitching advice. This, along with a “good downward plane”, have become common pitching jargon slung around for years. Scott Baker never figured out how to get a good downward plane. It has come to the point where if any Twins pitcher is struggling, the inevitable cure from the broadcast booth would likely be one of those two remedies.

 

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Bert Blyleven doesn’t know pitching. Bert Blyleven has forgotten more about pitching in the time it took you to get to this point in the sentence than most people hope to learn in a lifetime. However, when it comes to utilizing the rubber by pushing off, as Blyleven suggests, science might not agree with the Dutchman’s assessment. According to Kyle Boddy and his Driveline Baseball think tank in Seattle, Washington has studied the “push off” phenomenon and his preliminary research shows that the back leg push off is not the velocity-inducing catalyst that people think it is.

 

Boddy offered the Mariners’ Arquimedes Caminero as a good example of how velocity isn’t generated off the back leg. When he gets to his balance point and goes forward, his foot disengages the rubber area but doesn’t push off.

 

http://i.imgur.com/cxLJzHG.gif

 

When it comes this particular pitching cue, Blyleven is incorrect. By Boddy’s account, coming from someone who has dedicated his career to understanding the science behind it, pushing from the back leg has little influence on velocity or command. What we hear from players, former players and coaches is a disconnect between what they FELT and what is actually happening during the process. To Blyleven, the act of driving off the back leg may have felt like pushing off the pitching rubber but that is not what actually transpires in the kinetic chain.

 

Berrios’ problem does not stem from not utilizing the pitching rubber enough.

 

In the case of Berrios’ development, as Mike Berardino of the St Paul Pioneer Press recently phrased it, the Twins are using a “village” approach. In addition to Blyleven, Berrios has been receiving advice from Neil Allen, Eddie Guardado and teammate Ervin Santana. While the guidance from multiple experienced baseball men can be beneficial, there is also the danger that a young prospect has too many messages being communicated -- especially when some of the advice, in spite of the well-meaning nature, is wrong.

 

There is no denying that Berrios needs refinement. When it comes to his fastball command, he has found the zone just 46% of the time -- compared to the 53.5% major league average. In fact, of those who have thrown 350 or more fastballs, Berrios’ in-zone rate is the fifth lowest. Beyond that, Berrios also struggles to command his fastball in the zone, missing the glove by a wide margin and winding up in a hitter’s whump-em zone.

Download attachment: Berrios KC.PNG

That being said, in spite of the poor command, Berrios’ movement and velocity on his fastball has also incited plenty of swing-and-misses making it a very good potential weapon. Right now his fastball gets a swinging strike 9.3% of the time it’s thrown -- well above the league average of 7.5%. By comparison, the hard-throwing Noah Syndergaard gets a swinging strike 9.5% of the time. That would be good over the course of an entire season. That would be really good.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/VH4xtUF.gif

Guardado told me something in spring training that resonated about his instructional approach and the psyche of pitchers in general. “I don’t like to go in there and fix a damn engine when you only need to change a spark plug,” he said. “That’s what I try to do. Keep it simple, keep it easy. Not too much to think about because it is already tough to go out there and the pressure out there trying to compete.”

 

There is a lot of pressure. Especially for someone who has been deemed the team’s top pitching prospect and one -- through various social media channels -- who has also set a lofty expectation for himself as well. Berrios has talent, skill and dedication like few others have ever had or ever wish to have and he has carved up hitters in the minor leagues. It is only a matter of time before it all clicks.

 

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[Badsmerf]

Have you looked at any video of release point? Seems strange that he has such great command and now is having trouble with it. I would like to think they know he needs to locate better, Bert himself always talks about it.

 

He will get comfortable and start having success. The twins need to just keep sending him out there. It might go a long ways to reassure him of that as well, if they haven't already.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Badsmerf

[Teddy]

While I'm not going to claim to be any sort of a pitching expert here (so is that why I'm about to play one on the internet?), to my eye it appears as if Berrios isn't committing his pitching-arm shoulder toward home plate as explosively as he should. Matter of fact, he seems a little passive with his upper body. Compare the speed of the movement of his shoulders to that of Caminero in the clip on this page. While Caminero may be a bit more violent in delivery than I'd like to see out of Berrios, if Jose could speed up his upper body rotation, and really commit his pitching-arm shoulder toward his target, the ball would explode out of his hand even more and I think he'd be more consistent with location.

[HitInAPinch]

Maybe I'm reading you wrong Parker, but I don't think Bert is talking about power.  I believe Bert is talking about "directional mechanics".  [yeah, I just made that up  :-)  ]  We used to call it, "lunging towards the plate".  Step back, square-up shoulders to the plate [sort of], then "power towards the plate".  

 

That's the type of pitcher Berrios appears to be.  But one size does NOT fit all.  Remember Tiant and Holtzman?

 

Anyway, a pitchers delivery is about consistency.  And the Twins have a good amount of pitchers that need work at that.

[clutterheart]

Berrios has been receiving advice from Neil Allen, Eddie Guardado and teammate Ervin Santana.

 

 

Allen is back with the team?

[Squirrel]

Allen is back with the team?

Yes, has been for some time.

[troyhobbs]

Seeing the struggles of top prospects like May, Meyer, and Barrios makes one leery about what else is in the cupboards.

[wsnydes]

Whatever the issue, these guys need to be allowed to work through their issues without worrying about being benched after a bad day or sent to the minors.  If they're supposed to be MLB ready, allow them to work with the big league staff.  Shuffling them back and forth to Rochester or sitting them down after a bad day does them no good.  That's not just Berrios, that's any of the prospects.  Give them a legit opportunity to work through their issues and then if there isn't any improvement, then start benching them or sending them down to AAA a la Buxton.

[Thrylos]

 

While I'm not going to claim to be any sort of a pitching expert here (so is that why I'm about to play one on the internet?), to my eye it appears as if Berrios isn't committing his pitching-arm shoulder toward home plate as explosively as he should. Matter of fact, he seems a little passive with his upper body. Compare the speed of the movement of his shoulders to that of Caminero in the clip on this page. While Caminero may be a bit more violent in delivery than I'd like to see out of Berrios, if Jose could speed up his upper body rotation, and really commit his pitching-arm shoulder toward his target, the ball would explode out of his hand even more and I think he'd be more consistent with location.

 

Yeah, he is "cocking" his arm back for fractions of a second.  That's what he has always been doing and generated velocity and command.

 

My theory is that he is thinking too much, talking to too many people who are suggesting stuff, trying to implement those suggestions and make the 'perfect pitch'.

 

Someone should just tell him not to think, nobody cares about the outcome of the game this season, and just go out and have fun playing the game.

Maybe he will find his zone that way, instead of being in analysis-paralysis misery.

 

 

[Parker Hageman]

Maybe I'm reading you wrong Parker, but I don't think Bert is talking about power.I believe Bert is talking about "directional mechanics".[yeah, I just made that up:-)]We used to call it, "lunging towards the plate".Step back, square-up shoulders to the plate [sort of], then "power towards the plate".

 

 

Overall point: "pushing off the rubber" -- as he was describing it during the broadcast -- does little for power or command. I know (hope?) Bert means something different that what he explained on TV when he and/or Neil Allen were working with Berrios in the bullpen. 

 

 

 

[nicksaviking]

Sports psychiatrists have been popular for some time. Do the Twins employ one? Because if a guy comes through the system and is praised for his command and work ethic, I'd think there's a good chance the underlying issue is simply dealing with the pressure.

 

Also, I agree with the too many cooks in the kitchen theory. Let's clean that kitchen out and get a new cook. Just one. Make sure it's a good one.

[nytwinsfan]

Yeah, the larger point to me is not that pushing off the rubber harder does not create extra velocity (although I'm sure you are correct about that and Blyleven wrong), it is that VELOCITY is not remotely Berrios' problem, so why try to fix the part of his game that's not broken? 

 

I agree with Thrylos, seems like Berrios is (understandably given the instruction he is being given) overthinking things and needs to relax and just pitch.

[wsnydes]

 

Yeah, the larger point to me is not that pushing off the rubber harder does not create extra velocity (although I'm sure you are correct about that and Blyleven wrong), it is that VELOCITY is not remotely Berrios' problem, so why try to fix the part of his game that's not broken? 

 

I agree with Thrylos, seems like Berrios is (understandably given the instruction he is being given) overthinking things and needs to relax and just pitch.

I guess that I took that to mean that it's more about repeating his mechanics on every pitch.  If something is off in your feet or legs, your upper body must compensate for that which throws everything else off.  Velocity isn't the issue, command is.  Repeatable mechanics are far more important for locating your pitches than it is for velocity.

Edited August 22, 2016 by wsnydes

[Doomtints]

"FIxing" Berrios implies something is broken with him.  He's young, not broken.  Look at how long it took Santana and Viola to perform at expectations.  

 

With Viola, the "fix" was to let him play.

With Santana, the "fix" was to use him out of the bullpen.

 

I don't know if this coaching staff is smart enough to make any type of decision one way or the other.  Thus, Berrios will probably get bounced around.  Twins management is very impatient.  

Edited August 22, 2016 by Doomtints

[markos]

I can't seem to find the article on BP from earlier this year, but one of their writers pointed out two things (if I recall correctly...)

 

1) Berrios's command, relative to past seasons, has been off all year - spring training, majors, minors; he has struggled to one degree or another at every level.

2) In his opinion, Berrios has slowed down his delivery relative to past years, and he thinks this is the problem. Berrios was able to generate such good stuff due, in part, to a fast delivery. But now the delivery doesn't quite match the arm speed, so his arm ends up lagging a little bit and he missed to the glove side.

 

I was able to dig up the article.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29065

[tobi0040]

The most telling part of the Blyleven conversation was when he said “sadly, they should have had him working on this in the minor leagues”.

 

We cannot get this FO, development, and coaching staff out of here soon enough.

[Parker Hageman]

Also, I agree with the too many cooks in the kitchen theory. Let's clean that kitchen out and get a new cook. Just one. Make sure it's a good one.

 

 

Let's just summarize all the (known) advice Jose Berrios has been given:

 

1. Ervin Santana told him he was "opening up his front hip too fast, spinning away from the target". http://www.twincities.com/2016/08/15/twins-using-village-to-help-struggling-jose-berrios/

 

2. Neil Allen told him he needs to pick up the tempo. http://www.startribune.com/twins-ask-jose-berrios-to-pick-up-the-pace-on-the-mound/390656141/

 

3. In the same article, Allen also told Berrios that wrapping the ball behind his back was hurting his command.

 

4. Bert Blyleven had told him to work on his release point.

 

5. And, finally, Blyleven said that they were working on pushing off that pitching rubber.

 

That's a lot of things for a pitcher to take with him into a start.   

[Mike Sixel]

 

Let's just summarize all the (known) advice Jose Berrios has been given:

 

1. Ervin Santana told him he was "opening up his front hip too fast, spinning away from the target". http://www.twincities.com/2016/08/15/twins-using-village-to-help-struggling-jose-berrios/

 

2. Neil Allen told him he needs to pick up the tempo. http://www.startribune.com/twins-ask-jose-berrios-to-pick-up-the-pace-on-the-mound/390656141/

 

3. In the same article, Allen also told Berrios that wrapping the ball behind his back was hurting his command.

 

4. Bert Blyleven had told him to work on his release point.

 

5. And, finally, Blyleven said that they were working on pushing off that pitching rubber.

 

That's a lot of things for a pitcher to take with him into a start.   

 

Bah, that's nothing, try standing on the tee box with 100 swing thoughts....

 

It would be interesting to know what/how they are advising him, and if things have really changed from last year or not....

[tobi0040]

Let's just summarize all the (known) advice Jose Berrios has been given:

 

1. Ervin Santana told him he was "opening up his front hip too fast, spinning away from the target". http://www.twincities.com/2016/08/15/twins-using-village-to-help-struggling-jose-berrios/

 

2. Neil Allen told him he needs to pick up the tempo. http://www.startribune.com/twins-ask-jose-berrios-to-pick-up-the-pace-on-the-mound/390656141/

 

3. In the same article, Allen also told Berrios that wrapping the ball behind his back was hurting his command.

 

4. Bert Blyleven had told him to work on his release point.

 

5. And, finally, Blyleven said that they were working on pushing off that pitching rubber.

 

That's a lot of things for a pitcher to take with him into a start.

Now add all the things the AAA staff has told him.

[Parker Hageman]

 

The most telling part of the Blyleven conversation was when he said “sadly, they should have had him working on this in the minor leagues”.

We cannot get this FO, development, and coaching staff out of here soon enough.

 

That was the best thing he said. 

[Willihammer]

 

I can't seem to find the article on BP from earlier this year, but one of their writers pointed out two things (if I recall correctly...)

 

1) Berrios's command, relative to past seasons, has been off all year - spring training, majors, minors; he has struggled to one degree or another at every level.

2) In his opinion, Berrios has slowed down his delivery relative to past years, and he thinks this is the problem. Berrios was able to generate such good stuff due, in part, to a fast delivery. But now the delivery doesn't quite match the arm speed, so his arm ends up lagging a little bit and he missed to the glove side.

 

I was able to dig up the article.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29065

Don't have a subscription but looking at the fastball chart in Parker's article, if that image is from the pitcher perspective as it appears, there's a cluster to Berrios' arm side. A more rapid delivery would exacerbate that tendency.

[brvama]

I have to side with the "mind" side of his current pitching problems.  He is a hard worker and takes coaching like the best of him.  That can get many out of whack by implementing all the tweaks.  I happen to agree with thrylos: relax and let things fly and have fun playing the game.

[SheboyganBrats]

I'm not too concerned that he's getting different advice from multiple sources.  Anyone who's been an athlete at any level knows that you're always getting advice from coaches, friends, family, etc.  Some of it may be good advice, hopefully from one's coaching staff, and some of it may be completely off base.  The key is that someone says something that "clicks" with the player, and he can use it to his benefit.  I'm sure that pitchers are fine-tuning their delivery all the time.  Hopefully, Berrios finds something that works and he gets back on track soon.

[nicksaviking]

 

Let's just summarize all the (known) advice Jose Berrios has been given:

 

1. Ervin Santana told him he was "opening up his front hip too fast, spinning away from the target". http://www.twincities.com/2016/08/15/twins-using-village-to-help-struggling-jose-berrios/

 

2. Neil Allen told him he needs to pick up the tempo. http://www.startribune.com/twins-ask-jose-berrios-to-pick-up-the-pace-on-the-mound/390656141/

 

3. In the same article, Allen also told Berrios that wrapping the ball behind his back was hurting his command.

 

4. Bert Blyleven had told him to work on his release point.

 

5. And, finally, Blyleven said that they were working on pushing off that pitching rubber.

 

That's a lot of things for a pitcher to take with him into a start.   

 

And the troubling thing might not be that this is too much information, but seeing as this is some kind of ad hoc pitching correction committee, there's likely very little chance that every "instructor" knows what the other "instructors" are telling him.

[gocgo]

Yeah, when it comes to pitching, less is more.  Let's just start with the fastball.  If you are going to miss with your fastball, you want to miss low.  Missing high (like thigh high) tends to make the ball disappear over the fence.  Speeding up tempo is different than speeding up delivery.  Tempo is just the time between pitches - get the sign, throw the ball, don't think about it.  My guess is that is what Neil Allen was trying to tell him.

 

"You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club." - Crash Davis

 

When you speed up delivery, the tendency is to leave the arm behind which screws up the release point and causes the ball to go higher than intended.  So, if I were coaching him, just start with the fastball and let's work on getting that down in the zone where a mistake won't hurt you.

[Mike Sixel]

Ya, taking advice from a movie character.....

 

You realize that high strikes are the strikeout pitch, right?

[Doomtints]

Reading this, it really does seem like the Twins structure is a "good old boy's club" and there are a lot of coaches and managers who are not doing their work.  It truly is an organization that (until recently) one could not get fired from.  Berrios isn't the first person who came up from the majors without being ready, but this is the first deep dive I have seen into the problems with a player's development that were not addressed.  

[Willihammer]

Parker, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Fernando Abad high-elbow pitch tipping, and 10 being Rick Ankiel cca 2001, how broken do you think Berrios' delivery really is?

[markos]

 

Don't have a subscription but looking at the fastball chart in Parker's article, if that image is from the pitcher perspective as it appears, there's a cluster to Berrios' arm side. A more rapid delivery would exacerbate that tendency.

I can see why you might think that, but the argument that this writer put forth was a little more nuanced. Basically, shortish pitchers like Berrios need to create a fair amount of momentum and burst from their lower half in order to (in his opinion) safely generate arm speed. If the top-half (arms, shoulders) are moving too slow, it ends up lagging behind the lower half. That lack of sync causes the release point to be behind and pitches to drift armside. 

 

I wish you could see the article. He added a couple of nice gifs that contrasted two pitches against different lefties. They may have been cherry-picked, but even to my untrained eye I could see a subtle difference between them. Basically, if you look at where Berrios's arm is when his left foot hits the ground, you can see that his arm is just a little bit behind on a arm-side miss than when he throws a good strike. 

[Willihammer]

 

I can see why you might think that, but the argument that this writer put forth was a little more nuanced. Basically, shortish pitchers like Berrios need to create a fair amount of momentum and burst from their lower half in order to (in his opinion) safely generate arm speed. If the top-half (arms, shoulders) are moving too slow, it ends up lagging behind the lower half. That lack of sync causes the release point to be behind and pitches to drift armside. 

 

I wish you could see the article. He added a couple of nice gifs that contrasted two pitches against different lefties. They may have been cherry-picked, but even to my untrained eye I could see a subtle difference between them. Basically, if you look at where Berrios's arm is when his left foot hits the ground, you can see that his arm is just a little bit behind on a arm-side miss than when he throws a good strike. 

OK, I thought you were describing a problem where his arm was in front of his body and he was missing glove side. This makes more sense.