Reaction on first-rounder Jacob Berry and Marlins draft. And Tanner Scott’s big chance
Jacob Berry, the Marlins’ first-round pick in this week’s amateur draft, will begin his professional career at third base after having played some first base, third base and both corner outfield spots in college.
“He made some really athletic plays at third base [in high school in 2019],” Marlins amateur scouting director DJ Svihlik said this week. “He goes to Arizona [in 2021]; they had a fully loaded lineup.
“When he went to LSU [in 2022], he developed mentally at third base over the course of the year. He’s a raw third baseman. He needs some work. When I saw him in the regional in Southern Mississippi, he was a different guy” defensively.
The Marlins drafted Berry for the elite bat, knowing defense isn’t considered a strength.
More feedback on Berry:
▪ The Athletic’s Keith Law: “Berry has one of the best pure hit tools in this draft class, with an exceptional combination of contact and power. At the end of the regular season, he had the fewest strikeouts of any hitter with at least 15 homers. His fans among scouts thought he had the best combination of hit and power among college bats, while his detractors pointed to his lack of a position — he’s likely to end up as a DH — and lack of stellar exit velocities at LSU.”
Defensively “the Tigers tried him at third and both outfield corners and he’s been bad everywhere,” Law said. “That lack of position limits how valuable he can be, and if doesn’t hit, there’s no floor. Berry’s a designated hitter or bad left fielder. He has to really reach his ceiling as a hitter to be worthy of a top 10 pick.”
▪ Fangraphs: “Berry has plus bat speed and raw power, with an uppercut bat path from both sides of the plate. His right-handed swing is pretty grooved, but still powerful, while his lefty swing is more skillful and dynamic, giving him a potent contact/power blend.”
Fangraphs projects him as a DH. “He’s actually a fairly range-y third baseman, as his foot speed allows him to cover a lot of ground, but his hands and arm accuracy are both pretty rough, and cause him to be error-prone. His lack of a defensive home caps his ceiling.”
▪ ESPN’s Dan Mullen: “There might not be a safer player than Berry taken [in Round 1] He’s a proven hitter at the highest levels of college baseball and his hitting ability will likely carry him to the majors as a solid everyday player — but the drawback is there aren’t any tools that scream star player here.
“This pick is reminiscent of when Miami selected Vanderbilt outfielder JJ Bleday out of the SEC with the No. 4 pick in 2019. A switch-hitter who has arguably the best current combination of hit/power/plate selection in this draft, Berry is a likely big-league regular — though his ceiling and ultimate position remain questions.”
MORE FROM SVIHLIK
The Marlins drafted only one outfielder this week, Long Beach State’s Chase Luttrell, in the 13th round.
“Chase was one of our favorite players [on day three of the draft],” Svihlik said. “We really liked the bat.... What we’re seeing right now is not what Chase will become. High contact” hitter.
Luttrell hit .312, with a .365 on-base percentage, with nine homers and 46 RBI in 54 games and 242 plate appearances last season.
The left-handed hitting Luttrell batted .299 with 18 homers and 91 RBI in four seasons and 162 games at Long Beach State -- coincidentally the equivalent of one full major league season.
We updated the Marlins’ outfield situation in this Tuesday piece.
▪ The Marlins, continuing efforts to try to find a diamond in the rough at catcher, took college catchers with their 18th and 19th picks in the 20-round draft: Colorado Mesa’s Spencer Bramwell and South Florida’s Carmine Lane.
Bramwell hit .371, with a .449 OBP, with 23 homers and 65 RBI in 58 games last season. He had 176 RBI in 187 college games.
Lane hit .332, .390 OBP, with 10 homers and 54 RBI in 57 games. He was primarily a third baseman at USF, but the Marlins plan to make him a catcher.
“If you can find a makeup player that’s tough, tenacious, can handle [the situation] behind the plate, that player might surprise you with more at-bats,” Svihlik said when asked if the organization values hitting and defense equally in evaluating catchers. He reminded reporters that “when drafting on Day 3, it’s exceedingly difficult to land a major-league player.”
Both catchers have proven they can hit at the college level, albeit Division II for Bramwell.
SCOTT’S CHANCE
For Tanner Scott, the remainder of the season essentially becomes a trial for him for the 2023 closer job.
He’s 12 for 16 in save chances with a 4.06 ERA. The left-hander has pitched well recently, allowing three earned runs in his past 13 appearances, with his only blown save in that span resulting from a poor defensive play by Brian Anderson and an error by Scott in an agonizing loss to the Mets.
He has 55 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.
“What we like is the mentality part,” Don Mattingly said. “We thought from the very beginning that this guy has closer-type stuff. We didn’t know the mentality when he got here and he didn’t throw enough strikes when he got here.
“That’s the thing we’ve been trying to build with Mel [Stottlemyre Jr.]; just the way we used him and careful with the way we used him, what part of the game as we try to get this thing on line. He’s made the strides and at some point, we’re like, ‘This guy has the stuff to do it.’ And he’s been pretty good.”
Scott, who grew up in Cleveland, said he liked watching Astros closer Billy Wagner as a teenager but didn’t necessarily dream about becoming a closer.
“It’s definitely nice” getting this opportunity, he said. “I want to be out there every day.”
He said he has never felt nervous pitching the ninth. “You have got to be calm, cool, collected,” he said. “I just attack. I haven’t been nervous. You need to keep a level headed mindset.”
Scott said he hasn’t been recognized a single time in public in South Florida and hasn’t asked the Marlins if he’s getting any fan mail.
The Marlins deserve credit for their April 3 acquisition of Scott and Cole Sulser from Baltimore in exchange for a draft pick (Gators outfielder Jud Fabian, who was selected 67th overall this week) and two minor-league prospects who haven’t impressed: Antonio Velez (6.14 ERA in Double A for the Orioles) and Kevin Guerrero (.111 for the Orioles’ rookie league team), and a player to be named later.
PLAYOFF UPDATE
The Marlins enter the second half of the season 5 1/2 games out of the third wild card spot. Fangraphs gives them a 2.7 percent chance to make the playoffs.
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 2:50 PM.
