Blue Jays 40-man Roster Review: José Berríos returned to form and calmed the concern about his contract
7 months ago
What a bounce-back season it was for José Berríos.
This is the 40-man Roster Review, in which we’re going to take a look back at each player on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, and how they performed in 2023, as well as their outlook for 2024.
The Blue Jays acquired Berríos when they sent two prospects – Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Martin – to the Minnesota Twins at the 2021 deadline. He pitched well to end the season with the Jays, posting a 3.58 ERA and a 3.28 FIP in 70.1 innings pitched, helping the Jays nearly reach the playoffs.
Then the 2022 season happened, and oh boy was it a disaster. It started in the first game of the season, as Berríos was the opening day starter. He only pitched a third of an inning giving up four earned runs and walking two before being pulled.
For the entirety of the 2022 season, Berríos had a 5.23 ERA and a 4.55 FIP in 172 innings pitched, and gave up the most hits and earned runs in the entirety of the league. Not just that, but he had a 19.8 K%, the lowest since his 2016 season. Along with Yusei Kikuchi, there were several question marks regarding the rotation heading into 2023.
It looked like it was going to be another rough season for Berríos, as he gave up 12 earned runs in only 9.2 innings pitched to start the 2023 season. However, Berríos finished the rest of his 180 innings with a 3.25 ERA and a 4.04 FIP, along with a 23.4 K% and a 6.7 BB%. For the season, Berríos had a 3.65 ERA and a 3.99 FIP in 189.2 innings pitched, along with a 23.5 K% and a 6.6 BB%.
Fangraphs’ Steamer projection believes that the 29-year-old will regress in 2024. They have him posting a 4.15 ERA and a 4.28 FIP in 179 innings pitched. Moreover, they have Berríos striking out 22.1% of batters and walking 6.5% of batters.
With all this being said, Berríos is once again going to be important to the Blue Jays rotation in the upcoming season. A lot went right for the rotation last season as four starters posted a sub-4 ERA and remained in good health. Let’s hope that’s the case in 2024 as well.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO
Recent articles from Ryley Delaney
