Nope, the Twins make nearly all HS players stay a full year at low A. Arcia got to skip out after half a season but he was a hitter. Berrios will get no higher than CR this year.
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prospects need time. you don't rush a prospect because of need. Plus the Twins have Gibson, May and Meyer in AA/AAA.
How about a future rotation of:
1. Meyer
2. May
3. Berrios
4. Gibson
5. Boyd/Baxendale/Hendriks/Mata/ whoever is good
You don't want to push a guy who's not ready, but if he is proving himself, a quick advancement is not necessarily rushing a young player. Had the Twins been fortunate enough to have gotten their hands on Felix Hernandez or Clayton Kershaw, would those players still have reached the majors at the young ages of 19 and 20 years old? No one can say, but i suspect not.
No Berrios isn't Kershaw or Felix, but when those two were that young, did everyone know they'd turn out exactly how they did? I wonder who people were saying those two weren't when they were that young...
Berrios' numbers in rookie ball were better than Kershaw's...arguably better than King Felix's...at least stat-line wise. We could really have something here.
Great point! And yes, we could really have something special in Berrios
I think you need to reign in your expectations a little.
I agree that it is worth getting excited about but it's a small sample. He was a supplemental pick, he is not ranked in top 100 lists and most scouting reports say he has #3 upside. Kershaw was the #7 pick, ranked about #25 overall and had #1 upside. Berrios is a very good prospect but I am going to wait untilhe has at least played full season ball to suggest that he will dominate and get promoted to FT Myers.
For sure kab21, I think we all agree he should not be rushed. But let's detach ourselves from the #3 starter projections, and become enchanted with the mystery of what Berrios could become. We should never pigeon-hole a prospect with dominant numbers, and say ,"well, he is only gonna be a 2nd tier guy in the bigs. So we can reign in our expectations and not expect anything great from him."
I suggest we imagine what is possible, rather than downplay whatever summit a player may reach.
Its a lot more fun anyway. And with all these teenagers in the Twins system, there are a whole lot of summits that will be reached far in to future seasons.
John Sickels scouting report:
Minor League Prospect Note: Jose Berrios, RHP, Minnesota Twins
One of my favorite pitchers from the 2012 draft is Jose Berrios (sometimes referred to as J.O. Berrios), a high school pitcher from Puerto Rico drafted in the supplemental first round by the Minnesota Twins. Berrios has been outstanding in pro ball. He threw five shutout innings for Elizabethton in the Appalachian League on Friday, allowing two hits, walking nobody, while fanning 11.
Overall, in 25.2 innings split between Elizabethton and the Gulf Coast League, Berrios has allowed two runs (0.70 ERA), just 10 hits, only four walks, while fanning 43. That's right, 43/4 K/BB in 25.2 innings with 10 hits allowed.
Standing 6-0, 190, the 18-year-old Berrios is showing a mid-90s fastball, and both his breaking ball and changeup are exceeding his pre-draft scouting reports. The breaking ball is variously described as either a hard curve or a slider, depending on which source you're talking to, but either way it is effective. His changeup is advanced for his age. He also tinkered with a cutter and a slow curve as an amateur. Although he doesn't have much physical projection remaining in terms of size, he is athletic, repeats his mechanics well, and has mature mound presence.
The Twins used him in relief at first in the Gulf Coast League to get him acclimated to pro ball, but he's starting now and has the arsenal to stick there. His control has been very sharp, and obviously his performance has been outstanding so far. I like him a lot and he could end up being one of the best pitchers in the draft class.
From The Scouting Book
Drafted as a teenager from Puerto Rico to open 2012's compensation round, Jose Orlando Berrios is a smallish righthander with good arm strength from a compact but strong frame. His short delivery bodes well for mechanical soundness, with a fastball that can pop at 96mph and a breaking ball that looks like a real plus offering. He'll slow-cook in Minnesota after signing, but if he stays healthy, it won't be long before he's seen as a TOP-FLIGHT PHENOM in a system good at maximizing pitcher value.