His first taste of big league action didn’t go so well, but Minnesota Twins top prospect Jose Berrios deserves another chance soon.
When Jose Berrios got his first major league start earlier this season, it didn’t go quite the way he or the Minnesota Twins dreamed it up. Berrios was roughed up in his brief stint with the Twins, posting a 10.20 ERA in 15 innings. He walked 12 and gave up 20 hits, despite striking out 20 batters.
Perhaps it was a bit too early for the 22-year-old, who is known for having excellent command and has been called one of the game’s best pitching prospects ever since being drafted in 2012. Regardless of the reason, Paul Molitor and the Twins decided they had seen enough after just four starts, and Berrios was sent back to the minors.
But after an atypical start to his season, Berrios has turned things around. He’s posted a 2.44 ERA with Triple-A Rochester across 16 starts, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is incredible: 111 K’s, with just 35 walks. He’s also posted a WHIP of just 1.006 and a strikeout rate above 27 percent.
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For the Twins, Berrios would be a major upgrade. No one has pitched particularly well for Minnesota this year, except perhaps Ervin Santana, but Tyler Duffey is the one who will likely be booted for Berrios soon – possibly before his next start.
Duffey has posted a 6.12 ERA this season, striking out just 70 batters in 89.2 innings. Those aren’t numbers that will impress anyone, especially in comparison to Berrios.
The concern, of course, is that Berrios will return to the majors and hit the same wall he did in April, when he couldn’t find the strike zone and seemed to get hit hard at every turn. But Berrios seems to have rounded the corner. His brief introduction to the big leagues taught him the importance of maintaining his command, and the fact that this is his second shot will probably help with the adrenaline that almost certainly impacted his April starts.
The Twins, who are 37-63 this season with a 20+ game deficit in their division, are not going to be a competitive team in the second half. This is the perfect time for Berrios to get his feet wet, gain some experience, and settle in for next season. Minnesota’s rotation is one of the worst in the game, and their team ERA is ranked above only Cincinnati.
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It’s time for Berrios to return to the big leagues and keep the fans interested in the team for the rest of the season. With his talent, who wouldn’t show up to the ballpark to watch the future of the Twins?