The Marlins have agreed to terms with first-round pick Jacob Berry, according to Joe Frisaro of Man On Second Baseball. Frisaro says that the sixth overall selection will be receiving a bonus of $6MM, which is just a hair below the $6.03MM slot value for the pick.
Berry, a third baseman out of Louisiana State University, posted a ridiculous .370/.464/.630 batting line on the year, hitting 15 home runs in the process. In addition to that potent bat, Berry will bring some versatility to the table, as he is a switch-hitter who also saw some time in the outfield corners this year. Baseball America placed him eighth on their pre-draft rankings, complimenting his plate discipline but adding that his defense is his weakest trait. Still, they note that his bat should still play even if his defensive shortcomings result in a move to first or designated hitter down the road. Berry also came in at #8 over at FanGraphs, was #9 at ESPN, #27 at The Athletic and #7 at MLB Pipeline.
By getting Berry to agree to an under-slot deal, the Marlins will be able to reapportion that small amount of money to try and sign other draft picks.
Good pick. You can always learn defense
It’s not that hard, Scott. Tell him Wash.
It’s incredibly hard.
Best movie of all time!
I think you might be one of the few people with that opinion. Decent view, but best movie? Na.
Opposite actually. Hitting you can, to some extent, learn as a pro. If you can’t field at the highest college level, that ain’t changing. He just doesn’t have the speed, hands, OR arm to play anywhere except first and left, and he’s bad at both of those too.
He played 3B at both AZ and LSU. Doubtful they would have kept him there if he didn’t have the arm. He also played some RF, another position a guy won’t be played at if he didn’t have the arm.
Scouting reports like his quick hands. He might lack range, how much will determine if he can play the OF, but he can improve his fielding if he stays at 3B.
Wade Boggs, was not a a good fielder initially, but worked to improve enough to win a couple GGs. I know GGs don’t always go to the better fielder, but they don’t give them to hacks either.
“You can always learn defense” Gary Sanchez would like a word please. Ahahaha
There’s a quantum difference, between defense at catcher and an IF corner.
Honestly, getting a real hacker is very rare but I found an assembly of the finest hackers in Zurich, Geneva & Paris. They do a wide variety of hacks such as credit repairs, intercepting bank transfers, hacking into sophisticated devices such as phones, computers, CCTV’s, ATM Cards and much more. They show proof of their authenticity. You can contact them for any kind of hack you need at “SYNOD@ TUTANOTA • COM”
BUST
That was Berry quick.
(insert face palm emoji)
Why not just give him the extra $30 grand? I wouldn’t think that relatively tiny bit is not going to make the difference in whether someone signs or not.
Maybe not alone, but add up a few slight underslot deals and they have a bit of extra cash banked.
I saw Berry attempt to play 3B, LF, and RF. I will say that Nick Castellonas is a good comparison for him. He can hit, hit hard, runs well. An above arm, even if it’s a little erratic. But, you really don’t want to see him in the field.
Defense can be learned if the player wants to learn it. Believe it or not, there were a LOT of questions about the defense of a former Rockies minor leaguer in low A and high A. That former Rockies minor leaguer? Nolan Arenado. He improved his defense a lot from the AA level up.
I’m not saying every player will improve THAT much, but a player can improve his defense if he just works on it. And has the right coaches around him.
I’m not in disagreement with you about coaching, willingness of player, existing skill set, etc. about defense, and the ability to improve. I’m just saying that what I saw of Berry, it’s apparent that the Marlins drafted him for his bat. Anything else they get from him is going to be extra. I hope I’m wrong, because he seems to be a great kid, a real competitive guy. That’s always a plus for me.
I agree that he is probably a bat-first guy. I just wanted to point out that sometimes people around here make the assumption that players can only improve on offense when it is just as easy to improve on defense with the right work ethic.
Sas, Castellanos is an excellent comparison for Berry. Watched a lot of LSU this year, I must agree.
So MIA got Castellanos after all. Jeter os fuming!
And for cheaper.
Marlins could put him in the lineup tomorrow and he’d be better than every hitter they have.
No he wouldn’t.
I know he meant this as a joke, but have you seen their lineup? I genuinely believe I could outhit some of those guys
It’s actually easier to improve on defense. Once you start fielding balls it’s not like the hitters can hit it a little further away from you. Pitchers can constantly adjust where they pitch you.
I agree. It seems like fielding has more of a learned aspect than hitting does. Things like footwork, can be approved on, while bat to ball skills are more difficult to improve with instruction.
I wonder if he will ever own a glove during his tenure
Ownership probably can’t afford it
The last Berry to play 3B in the Major Leagues was decent for a stretch. Maybe the Marlins will get lucky
I heard Lou Gehrig was a poor fielder at 1b, so they had him dance/ballet and then he learned his footwork after that. There is the argument for learning it. However, most of the time the player starts their career a good fielder and slowly decrease over time (catcher the exception) or they start at SS and shift to 2B, CF to LF, 3b to 1b. Players get worse at fielding over time
He probably is a 1st baseman and that’s ok. His hot tool makes him valuable
I think he ends up at 1B long term. But what really matters for the Fish is that he hits.
We use can use him as a DH.