ON Top 50 Prospects - #32: Tim Berry

Published by Jordan Tuwiner on March 9, 2011

Tim Berry comes in at #33 in our top prospect countdown; he’s a guy I’ve touched up on quite a bit. He was a 50th round draft pick in 2009, and as a result doesn’t receive much attention, although he should. He signed for 4th-6th round money and without a doubt should be put right up there with names such as Cameron Coffey or Aaron Wirsch.

To say Berry is projectable is an understatement; he’s listed at 6′ 3″, 180 lbs. and has tons of room to grow. He has some slight mechanical problems which you can see in the video below. His front foot lands pointing at about a 30° angle in comparison to his shoulders. This can be fixed with time and could quite possibly already be corrected.*

*Note: I last saw Berry in August of 2010.

His command needs work and he’ll need to find a more consistent release point. It should be noted Berry underwent Tommy John Surgery almost immediately after he was drafted.

Despite the small frame, Berry’s good arm speed from a 3/4 slot produces low 90′s velocity with ease. I saw Berry throw twice over the course of 2010 (both in the GCL) and he was sitting 89-91 mph both times, touching 92 mph regularly. As Berry continues to fill out, there will be more velocity to come and he should add a few ticks to his fastball.

Berry’s curveball shows a lot of potential but it’s inconsistent. The pitch lacks consistent shape and will need to be tightened up in order to reach its plus potential.

With just 20 innings pitched in 2010, Berry isn’t ready to handle starting for a full-season club this upcoming season. He’ll open 2011 as part of Delmarva’s bullpen or Aberdeen’s rotation.