Throughout the year, I hope to provide a different look at pitching prospects down on the O’s farm. Below is a pitching chart and scouting report on LHP Tim Berry.
It was a cold night at Prince George’s Stadium, with Tim Berry taking on the Akron Rubberducks. Akron has some talent, with players such as Francisco Lindor and Tyler Naquin. This proved to be a good challenge for Berry, and he seemed to be ready for it. It is important to note that it was cold and crisp, and clearly affecting Berry’s grip of his secondary pitches. I am not sure whether he was working on his fastball and changeup primarily, whether he did not have a good enough feel for the curve on this specific night, or a little bit of both. Either way, he did not throw his curveball as much as in the past when I have seen him.
1st Inning: 9 FB, 1 CH, 0 CV (10 pitches)
2nd Inning: 11 FB, 2 CH, 0 CV (13 pitches)
3rd Inning: 17 FB, 3 CH, 0 CV (20 pitches)
4th Inning: 14 FB, 7 CH, 3 CV (24 pitches)
5th Inning: 6 FB, 1 CH, 1 CV (8 pitches)
6th Inning: 7 FB, 2 CH, 3 CV (12 pitches)
Total Pitches: 64 FB, 16 CH, 7 CV (87 pitches, 55 strikes)
Final Line: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Body: Tall and lean frame, looks like projection and growth into frame is left, but the body has not changed in two years.
Mechanics: Smooth delivery with clean mechanics; arm is fluid with quick-twitch movement. Slight stutter at times; throws hitter timing off. Toes towards right batters box. Will fly open at times, throwing his command out of sync. Deception in delivery, especially to left-handed hitters.
Fastball: 89-92 mph with arm-side run; tailing action. Solid average right now, but could get to plus if he ever sees a tick of velocity. Does not always command it well; sometimes runs into the middle portion of the strikezone. Will leave it up too much; might not miss enough bats if this is the case at higher levels.
Changeup: 82-84 mph; better feel, Shows fade with ability to throw in same motion as his fastball. Very impressed with how far this pitch has come since two years ago when I first saw him. Solid-average potential, likely to max out around average.
Curveball: 74-76 mph; Flashed a few with good, tight spin. Also had a few that were loopy and hanging. Inconsistent pitch on this night, but have seen it much better in the past. Solid-average potential, likely to max out around average.
