Thread: Article: Pickin' Berrios

An interesting study on pitcher height and its correlation with durability and effectiveness: Does a Pitcher?s Height Matter? | SABR

The data speak for themselves. Baseball organizations have been scouting, signing, and developing players based on a fallacious assumption. Shorter pitchers are just as effective and durable as taller pitchers. If a player has the ability to get drafted, then he should be drafted in the round that fits his talent.
The opportunity for major-league clubs is currently at its greatest potential. Clubs that value short pitchers with talent have an opportunity similar to those of clubs that, a decade or more ago, valued on-base percentage at a time when many of their competitors did not.

Sho' 'Nuff Willihammer! Thank you for posting!!

By being unafraid to draft short pitchers in high rounds the Twins once again prove they are at the cutting edge of statistical analysis!

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

Yes, I admit its not fair to berrios or timmy. But they are quite similar in body-type and pitching "stuff"..beyond that they do not compare favorably since their paths to the bigs will be so different. berrios will probably not skip a single level on his way to MN, while Timmy was already seasoned when the Giants got him at #10 overall.

JO is slightly taller and weighs more than Lincecum already, and he's not even reached his 19th birthday so he could fill out some more, maybe even grow another inch taller. And since their paths shape up to be so different, isn't there some other pitcher with similar body-type and stuff to use for the comp?

Matt Moore is listed as 6'2" and 205 today, quite a lot smaller in stature than the Verlanders and Prices of the world - when he was signed as an 18-year-old I wonder if he profiled all that differently from JO today. Moore had a nice introduction in the Appalachian League as an 18-19 year old, and he turned out all right. I don't know what kinds of pitches Moore throws, versus Berrios, though - so maybe he's a poor comp.

How about Gio Gonzalez? 6'0" and 200, also hot stuff in the Appy League when 18 - is/was his stuff comparable?

The Timmy comp is just silly. RH'ers with fastballs that tail in to righties? 2 secondary offerings that are different from Timmy? Couldn't you comp half of the RH pitching prospects to Timmy using this criteria?

As a matter of fact this whole thread is silly. If Berrios is what you say he is then he should ranking in top 25 lists right now. Even you put him at #6 on your 2014 list that doesn't include Hicks, Arcia and Gibson.

Originally Posted by ashburyjohn

JO is slightly taller and weighs more than Lincecum already, and he's not even reached his 19th birthday so he could fill out some more, maybe even grow another inch taller. And since their paths shape up to be so different, isn't there some other pitcher with similar body-type and stuff to use for the comp?

Matt Moore is listed as 6'2" and 205 today, quite a lot smaller in stature than the Verlanders and Prices of the world - when he was signed as an 18-year-old I wonder if he profiled all that differently from JO today. Moore had a nice introduction in the Appalachian League as an 18-19 year old, and he turned out all right. I don't know what kinds of pitches Moore throws, versus Berrios, though - so maybe he's a poor comp.

How about Gio Gonzalez? 6'0" and 200, also hot stuff in the Appy League when 18 - is/was his stuff comparable?

I am not really liking comparing Berrios to any lefties, or anyone that weighs 200 lbs or greater. Maybe you can compare stats, but I am talking more about what he looks like on the mound and his "stuff." I don't know. I admitted the Timmy comparison was not fair, or great for that matter.

Let me see.....

This video clip: JOSE ORLANDO BERRIOS Under Armour All-America 2011 - YouTube ....reminds me of the pitching motion of Zack greinke, but zack is more over-the-top than berrios.

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

I am not really liking comparing Berrios to any lefties, or anyone that weighs 200 lbs or greater.

If baseball-reference.com lists a guy at 200 now, I assume he weighed a good 10-20 pounds less as an 18-year old. May be a bad assumption. As for the lefty-righty thing, yeah, that was a bad oversight - obviously I was just spitballing some names and looking them up, and forgot to check handedness. Maybe Greinke is a decent comp in terms of size - hopefully not in his introverted makeup though.

Originally Posted by ashburyjohn

If baseball-reference.com lists a guy at 200 now, I assume he weighed a good 10-20 pounds less as an 18-year old. May be a bad assumption. As for the lefty-righty thing, yeah, that was a bad oversight - obviously I was just spitballing some names and looking them up, and forgot to check handedness. Maybe Greinke is a decent comp in terms of size - hopefully not in his introverted makeup though.

That's for sure. We don't need a guy that can't handle the pressure of pitching in the majors. But Greinke has been All-Star worthy for quite some time now...If Berrios approaches the level of Zack, then he was steal at #32 overall.

Doesn't throw quite as hard as Greinke, but Berrios is going to be a major pitching star.

JOSE ORLANDO BERRIOS Under Armour All-America 2011 - YouTube

Look at his poise on the mound, the alertness, the command. I see some Greinke, but his delivery doesn't look very hard on his arm. Berrios just needs to throw a few thousand more pitches to hone his form, get better accuracy. With his athletic balance on the mound, it will definitely happen. He'll be picking the corners with that slider in the major leagues within three years.

Originally Posted by jimbo92107

Doesn't throw quite as hard as Greinke, but Berrios is going to be a major pitching star.

JOSE ORLANDO BERRIOS Under Armour All-America 2011 - YouTube

Look at his poise on the mound, the alertness, the command. I see some Greinke, but his delivery doesn't look very hard on his arm. Berrios just needs to throw a few thousand more pitches to hone his form, get better accuracy. With his athletic balance on the mound, it will definitely happen. He'll be picking the corners with that slider in the major leagues within three years.

Couldn't agree more! I like your optimistic energy, and enthusiasm