Article: TD: Twins Top Prospects: #8 JO Berrios

[drjim]

Berrios is listed at just 6-0, a height that often is deemed “too short” to be a major league pitcher (or an NFL quarterback, right, Russell Wilson?).

 

I think this misinterprets some of the concern about Berrios. It is not so much that he is short but that he is relatively mature already which limits his future physical projection. This, combined with an advanced pitchability for a high schooler, led many scouts to project that he would be very effective at lower levels but with less of a ceiling. The upshot is that he might be able to move faster than a typical high school arm but that his ceiling would be lower than what might be expected based on numbers he puts up in the lower levels.

 

I like the pick, I like Berrios as a prospect, and I hope that the Twins are more aggressive with him than they might otherwise be with a high school arm. I would be surprised if he is a top 5 Twins prospect going into next year - I would assume/hope Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Meyer, and the #1 pick would all be higher.

[Madre Dos]

Jose is quiet, polite and a hard worker. He was always the first in bed after the ballgames in Elizabethton and up bright and early the next day ready for the adventures of a new day. He doesn't eat shrimp, but loves cookies and cream ice cream. He has a good head on his shoulders and a huge heart. I hope he goes far!

[panolo]

The size issues remind of someone who also went in the compensation round and made me absolutely torqued when the Twins didn't grab him...Gio Gonzalez.

 

Hopefully he is challenged this year and responds well. He seems like a great mature kid.

[Dantes929]

I think it should be pointed out that while Verlander was always on the elite side just because of his good control and fabulous stuff he was 7-7 against the Twins at one point. He has only become really elite since he dialed down his fastball most of the time and only amps it up when really needed. A bit like Sandy Koufax.. He still has a lot of strikeouts but it comes from great control and using other pitches. Bat missability doesn't just come from throwing hard. Pitching to contact works just fine and the Twins have won their fair share of games before 2011 doing it but the Twins have just done a terrible job of it since then. Throwing a good curveball on the low outside corner will still get a lot of hitters out. Falling behind in counts and throwing any pitch down the middle will not succeed in the long run. .

[cmathewson]

In other organizations, he'd be the consensus top prospect.

[FrodaddyG]

In other organizations, he'd be the consensus top prospect.

No. He really, really wouldn't.