It would be a lie to say that Jose Berrios had a good season in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays. We will not, because lying is not beautiful!
Berrios is the first to admit he needs to bounce back and perform better in 2023. He needs to become the elite pitcher the Jays acquired at a high price at the trade deadline in 2021. Recall that the coveted and versatile Austin Martin was notably sacrificed by Toronto at the time in this transaction.
To do this, number 17 of the Blue Jays went there with his action plan.
First, he needs to stop giving too much credit to the batters he faces. Secondly, and above all, he must believe in his means!
Regain confidence with coach launchers
As with anything in life, you have to have self-confidence and believe in your abilities. As a teacher, I constantly repeat this to my students! Professional athletes are no different from ordinary mortals, far from it.
The Puerto Rico native has worked extensively with his club’s pitching coach, Pete Walker. They have together diagnosed what they believe to be the source of the big right-hander’s problems.
In fact, it’s not that his shots weren’t good. He was throwing catches with consistency. However, these were strikes that favored the batters more than the pitcher. They found together that the main problem was more in its motion (its mechanics), than anything else.
Walker and Berrios went to three solutions to eradicate the problem:
- Keep your head aligned with your whole body. This is done with a view to maintaining a good level of coordination between the eye and the plate.
- Have more power with your back leg when shooting.
- Keeping his glove close to his body as much as possible, with the goal of opening his body less, which affects when the ball leaves his hand.
It is to be hoped for the many Blue Jays supporters that the 28-year-old pulls himself together for real. They need to reunite with the pitcher of 2021, the Gunner who was given the honor and prestige of being the starter in the 2022 season opener.
The starters in 2023
Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman held the fort last year. The proof is that they were the starters of the two playoff games against the Mariners. In my opinion, they are launchers 1 and 2.
Berrios must bring his two guys together in the hierarchy of his collective. Especially since Chris Bassitt joined the group. If the latter performs even a little more than up to expectations, he could inherit the title of third starter, which would relegate Berrios as the number 4 starter! I know the Jays rotation is deep, especially with a Hyun-Jin Ryu as a potential No. 5 pitcher late in the season, but still!
The main interested party of the text will begin the second year of a contract of seven years and 131 million dollars. He has everything in his toolbox to once again be a dominant and difficult pitcher to face in the Manfred circuit.
