Fastball Command a Key to José Berríos' Rebound Season
DUNEDIN, FL— José Berríos and the Blue Jays both want the same thing: a bounce back.
After a career of consistent production, Berríos allowed the most earned runs (100) and most hits (199) in the American League last year, posting a 5.23 ERA in the first season of his seven-year contract extension with the Jays. If Toronto's rotation is to live up to the high-upside hype, they'll need the Berríos of old—or at least something closer than '22. And to get that, the righty needs to command his fastballs.
"I think fastball command is going to be the thing for him," Manager John Schneider said. "It sounds very basic for any pitcher, but that's kind of where damage occurred last year on the fastball missing [Berríos'] spot."
For most of the season, Berríos' 2022 struggles perplexed both team and player. His velocity didn't drop, his spin rates didn't tumble, and his delivery was tweaked enough that it couldn't have been pitch-tipping (at least not always). What changed was the command of his two fastballs, the four-seamer (thrown 27.9% of the time) and sinker (25.8%).
In 2022, Berríos let his four-seamer consistently leak out across the plate against lefties—where they can do damage. When he's at his best (like back in 2018/19, shown below), the righty pushes his heater in on the lefties, owning the top corner of the strike zone, and letting his sinker and breaking pitch play off that spot. In '18 and '19, Berríos allowed a .239 average and 89.1 average exit velo to lefties off his fastball. Last year, those numbers jumped to .381 and 92.5 MPH.
In Berríos' first start of the 2023 spring, he brought a re-found fastball finesse. In two innings (36 pitches) against the Phillies in Clearwater, just four of the righty's 21 fastballs were away from the edge of the zone.
His second outing, on Sunday, flashed some of the same highs—and some lows. Berríos felt good about using his fastballs to both sides of the plate, the righty said after the game, but there were still some misses in the hot Dunedin sun.
"You can work on back fields and in like bullpens, all that stuff," Berríos said. "But always when you compete, that's when things start changing. That's when the natural you comes out."
Sunday's first inning proved how crucial Berríos’ fastball command will be this year. He missed just twice with the heater in that opening frame, but those misses ended up as a Trea Turner laced single and an annihilated Kyle Schwarber homer deep off the batter's eye.
Berríos will keep honing his command this spring, but it won't be under Toronto's watchful eye for the next few weeks. He's leaving the team to represent Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, headlining the rotation of a roster that includes Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, and Edwin Diaz. His ability to limit fastball misses could make or break Puerto Rico's chances in the tournament, but his success could also set the tone for a much-needed rebound with the Blue Jays this year.
"The WBC is gonna be fun, gonna be competitive," Berríos said. "We'll have to go out there and compete pitch-by-pitch, in my opinion. I think it's gonna help me motivate myself for the rest of this season."
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon