Jose Berrios is using the current coronavirus situation as an opportunity to add some more tricks to his bag.
During a conference call this week, the Minnesota Twins ace righty revealed that he is working to improve the trajectory on his changeup and curveball during the quarantine period that has left the 2020 MLB season in limbo.
“Right now, I am focusing on throwing the changeup towards the glove side, which would be on the side outside the right-handed hitter,” said Berrios, according to Marly Rivera of ESPN. “As it naturally runs for me, it would be on the arm side, from the middle towards the bottom. I want to improve it towards the glove side.
“I’m also working on a curveball, like if I’m facing a right-handed hitter, it goes over the hitter and falls for a strike,” he went on. “I know those are efficient pitches and I want to add them to my repertoire. The changeup comes out in a way that’s natural to me, so I want to work it elsewhere.”
The 25-year-old Berrios, who has been largely reliant on his fastball (both two-seam and four-seam) to this point of his career, went 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 32 starts last year. He also made the American League All-Star team for a second straight season.
Minnesota’s manager Rocco Baldelli recently raved about the team’s bullpen, but Berrios improving on his offspeed stuff should help make the Twins tough to hit in the earlier innings as well.
