Swing Away, José
By Tab Bamford
June has been kind to Twins’ ace José Berríos, but Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs presents a unique challenge: batting.
Berríos has been making a strong push for All-Star Game consideration over the past five weeks. In five starts in the month of June he comes into Friday’s start with a 3-0 record and 2.10 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting only .200 against him, and Berríos had piled up 42 strikeouts against only seven free passes and eight earned runs in 34.1 innings.
But that’s what Berríos is supposed to do: keep bats off the ball. Pitching at Wrigley Field means he’ll have lumber in his own hands – something he hasn’t done much in his young career.
Since the 24-year-old made his Major League debut in 2016 he has stepped into the batter’s box only six times. He singled in his only at-bat of his rookie season and provided one hit in five plate appearances last year, giving him a career .333 batting average.
But let’s not confuse his swing for that of former batting champion teammate Joe Mauer.
Before Thursday’s game against the White Sox, Berríos stepped into the cage at Guaranteed Rate Field on Chicago’s south side and took a few cuts. While some of his teammates joked around about playing shortstop or centerfield in high school, all confident in “how good I was back in the day,” Berríos focused on the business at hand. He tried a couple different bats and took a few practice swings with added weight on the bat, all while keeping to himself away from the cage.
It wasn’t until 41-year-old closer Fernando Rodney came by the cage that Berríos cracked a smile and laughed at the situation. Rodney approached Berríos and offered quiet advice that brought a smile to the young pitcher’s face.
Rodney offered the encouragement that only a 16-year-veteran with one (1) career plate appearance can provide; Rodney’s one career plate appearance came in 2006 – when Berríos was 12.
Berríos will look to put a cap on a tremendous month at Wrigley Field against the Cubs on Friday. Whether or not his bat helps the cause is to be determined.
Featured Image: La Vida Baseball
Inset Images: La Vida Baseball