Steward Berroa is a 25-year-old outfielder (he turns 26 in June) who was signed as an international free agent in July 2016. He was added to the 40-man roster in June of last year when the team called him up to take the roster spot of Orelvis Martinez, who was suspended for testing positive for PEDs. He said that he was taking drugs for fertility. I’m generally a cynic when hearing things like this. A player, one would think, would check any drug he’s prescribed to see if it is banned by baseball.
Berroa is fast, and that’s his biggest baseball tool. He’s been rated as the fastest player in the Jays’ organization. Speed is good; it is helpful on offense and defense.
His bat has never been a strong point, but last year, he hit well in Buffalo, .281/.371/.454 with 10 home runs in 79 games (also had 34 steals).
Berroa was up to the Blue Jays and down a couple of times last year. They didn’t give him much playing time. One of the things that the Jays do that bothers me is call up minor leaguers because they don’t play them enough. When you have a last-place team, why not put the young guys into the lineup and see what they can do? Seems logical to me, but not so much to the Blue Jays.
He played in 28 games (mostly as a defensive replacement/pinch runner). He had 45 plate appearances, hitting .189/.333/.216 with 6 steals, caught twice.
It is Otis Nixon’s birthday, and Berroa’s best hope is to have the career Nixon had. The unfortunate thing for Berroa is that someone with a batting line like Nixon’s wouldn’t have a 17-year major league career these days. I mean, Nixon had some years where he got on base well in the middle of his career, but Nixon had a 77 career OPS+ (with no power) and topped out at a 3.2 bWAR (with three seasons above 2.0). That will not get you a major league career now.
But Berroa does have a little power and has a better grasp on the strike zone than Nixon did. And I would call him a better defensive outfielder than Nixon.
Steward hasn’t been a top-rated prospect in the Jays’ system, but Tom_M had him on his ‘just missed out’ list last year. He said:
Berroa’s carrying tool is his speed. Baseball America considers him the fastest player in the Jays system, and he received down-ballot votes in their poll for the fastest player in the minor leagues heading into the 2022 season. He uses that speed well on the basepaths, stealing 47 bags in 54 attempts last year, and going 58 for 67 the year before that. The speed translates in the outfield too, where he’s an easy plus centre field defender.
At the plate, Berroa lacks a standout tool, but can do a few things well enough. A switch hitter, he’s knows the zone (12.9% walk rate in Vancouver last year, although it hasn’t translated against more advanced AA pitching yet), and although his feel for contact isn’t great, his swing is simple and direct enough to keep his strikeout rate in the mid-high 20s percent range, not ideal but playable. He also has at least a little power, with 7 home runs in just over 300 PA in each of the past two seasons and 2 already early in 2023.
The ceiling isn’t high here, as there’s no tool in Berroa’s offensive bag that suggests he can be close to an average major league hitter, but there are enough plate skills that he might be playable offensively, which could allow him to carve out a role as a fourth outfielder and ace pinch runner. It’s not a glamorous profile, but it’s a useful one.
Steamer doesn’t expect him to get much playing time in the majors this year. They have him playing 3 games, 14 PA, hitting .214/.293/.329. I was going to do the math to see if he could get those numbers in 14 PA, but I figured I’d rather finish this today.