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2: The most dramatic change related to the new rules? The pace of play. Perhaps Kevin Gausman and Manoah can be those arms, but it's increasingly looking like Berrios will not be the candidate to fill such a role without a more extreme makeover. But to advance deep into October, elite performance from their top-of-the-rotation arms is a must. The Blue Jays have an excellent lineup and much-improved outfield defense. Opening Day starter Alek Manoah was shaky, though his average fastball velocity was 94.2 mph, slightly up from last year. He allowed three home runs in the first inning as he was roughed up by an excellent St. The Blue Jays' rotation doesn't need more question marks.Ĭhris Bassitt's velocity was down in his first start Sunday, as it was throughout the spring, raising some alarm. While it worked well from 2016-21 when he ranked 25th in pitching WAR, Berrios might be in need of a new shape to throw off batters. Deception is hard to evaluate, but he seems to lack that quality.Īnd at a time when many pitchers are adding or refining their arsenals, Berrios' pitch mix remains largely unchanged.

It's in the middle of the pack in terms of spin, speed, and release extension. His four-seam fastball has ranked below the league average in FanGraphs' run values for three straight years. While his fastball velocity has remained steady, the rest of the league's velocity keeps improving. The 29-year-old is going to have to have impeccable command because his arsenal is trending down in relative terms. The problem for Berrios is that he doesn't have much margin for error. And Nicky Lopez, batting left-handed, was able to get his hands in and drive a better-located fastball - but one that still caught a bit too much plate - to split the gap for a two-run triple. followed by slashing another fastball that caught too much plate for a single. The left-handed hitting Jackie Bradley Jr. Too many fastballs again caught too much of the plate.Īfter a three-run first inning, fastball command became an issue again in the fourth.īerrios left a fastball over the plate to Hunter Dozier who ripped the ball to right. Berrios allowed eight runs and 11 baserunners in 5 2/3 innings.

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For instance, in his final tuneup on March 28, Berrios locked up Phillies left-handed batter Brandon Marsh with a well-located, 95-mph two-seam fastball away.īut the first regular season test resulted in a failing grade Monday against a Royals lineup that had struggled in its first series against the Twins. There were signs of improvement this spring. Only Josiah Gray of the Nationals allowed more home runs to lefties. He allowed 29 home runs last year, sixth most in the majors, and left-handed hitters crushed 20 of them 12 came via Berrios' fastball. 447 to lefties on fastballs in the 'heart' of the strike zone, according to MLB's Statcast data - which was more than. Too many fastballs drifted to the heart of the strike zone, and when they did, they were crushed.īerrios allowed a career-worst batting average of. He threw a career-low number of fastballs on the edges of the plate (7.1% of all offerings) against lefties last year. We've broken it down pretty in-depth in the offseason and he's on board with it.'

'That's where I think fastball command is going to be key for him. 'With a track record like his, his first six or seven years in the league, I think it is mostly pitch selection and staying out of damage areas,' Blue Jays manager John Schneider said near the close of camp.

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Coming off the worst full season of his career, and entering the second year of a seven-year, $131-million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Blue Jays and Berrios were focused on improving his fastball command - particularly glove side, or inside, against left-handed batters.