Jason Berken likes things fast. The Orioles right-hander prospect is used to quick at bats, double plays, and his Frederick Keys even won the Carolina League championship in his first full professional season. So, it took a while to understand that if he wanted to continue succeeding he had to slow down.
“My personality is very up-tempo and that reflects the way I pitch, but I saw that was working against me,” Berken said during a recent chat with Baseball Daily Digest’s Paul Bugala. “One thing that Griff (Bowie Baysox pitching coach Mike Griffin) has really been working on me with is pitching aggressively, but still under control. When I get a little quick, I start rushing to the plate, the ball stays away, and I give up hits.”
Berken was encouraged to work quickly and to keep his defense on its toes at Clemson, where he played in college until Baltimore drafted him in 2006. So, adjusting his personality and years of practice has required a comprehensive approach.
“I’ve been doing little things like instead of jogging out to the mound, I’m walking out there and walking off,” he said. “Just doing whatever I can to slow the game down.”
Jason Berken bears down on a Reading Phillies batter at Price George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland. (Photo: Paul Bugala)
Through 116 innings with Double-A Bowie, Berken has attacked the strike zone with a two-seam fastball, change-up, curve, and slider. His 3.67 K/BB ratio, third best in the Eastern League, shows Berken’s new approach is helping him conserve his pitches and keep runners off the bases.
“If you asked a lot of hitters they’d say, the hardest ball to hit is one than moves. I learned the hard way earlier last year when I was throwing a lot of four-seam fastballs. You can throw it as hard as you want, but if you miss that spot you’re going to pay for it,” Berken said. “But that sinker has a little more room for error. If you do miss your spot and you miss the barrel of the bat, hopefully you’ll get a ground ball. With my sinker and my change-up having the same kind of action, it makes my change-up that much better too.”
Berken has a 1.53 ERA his last five starts, covering 29.1 innings. For the year, his 3.49 ERA is a more than a full point lower than last year’s and all of his peripherals also have improved. He and fellow Orioles prospects Chris Tillman, David Hernandez and Brad Bergesen are part of a pitching staff that leads the Eastern League in strikeouts and shutouts.
“From the end of last year to this year, I feel like I’ve learned how to pitch, read hitters and consider things I hadn’t thought about in the past,” Berken said.
As Bowie pursues its first Eastern League title during the season’s final weeks, Berken is making the most of the lessons he has learned in his short professional career. But no insight has been more valuable than the awareness that you have to slow down to get ahead.
(This article is also available at Baseball Daily Digest/Big League Futures.)
