Two-way star rising: Catcher/country singer Berryhill forging his own path
Brian McTaggart
@brianmctaggartWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Blame it all on his roots. Luke Berryhill showed up at Astros minicamp in his boots ¡ along with his catching gear, some bats, two guitars and big dreams of making large crowds of people clap at his performance.
Berryhill's primary goal would be doing that on the baseball field, where he posted a .974 OPS with 15 homers and 54 RBIs across three Minor League levels last year, but he also has dreams that extend beyond the diamond. Berryhill, 23, is an aspiring country music singer who plays shows for money in the offseason and even writes his own songs.
¡°One day, I hope to have my own shows, selling out stadiums or other venues,¡± he said.
Berryhill (no relation for former big league catcher Damon Berryhill) grew up around country music. His father, Larry, was a professional singer in the 1980s and ¡®90s and was in all kinds of bands -- blues, Southern rock and country. He played shows around Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. A young Luke would tag along and essentially serve as the roadie, helping Dad with the equipment.
¡°Almost every weekend I'd be going to his gigs, and I just fell in love with music doing that,¡± he said. ¡°And then just throughout high school and stuff, I started exploring more singing opportunities and learn how to play guitar at the same time.¡±
Berryhill taught himself how to play guitar as a freshman in college -- he started at Georgia Southern and spent a year at Walters State Community College before transferring to the University of South Carolina -- by watching YouTube videos. It took six months before he could sing and play at the same time. Before long, though, he was playing gigs in the offseason himself.
Among the artists he covers are George Strait, Cody Johnson and Cody Jinks.
¡°Every offseason, I try to play as many gigs as I can,¡± he said. ¡°It's a good way to make some income in offseason since we're not getting paid. And it's a good excuse to go out and be social and stuff. Say like, ¡®I'm going out to a brewery tonight. ¡ I'm going there to make some money.¡¯ It¡¯s a fun time.¡±
And he entertains his teammates, as well. In bus rides during the season, Berryhill will break out his guitar and take requests. Justin Dirden, a Minor League outfielder in the Astros system, said Berryhill¡¯s guitar provided the perfect backdrop during a bus ride through a rainstorm last year while they were at Low-A Fayetteville.
¡°Everyone was relaxing and some people were sleeping to the sound of the rain, and you could hear him up in the front of the bus plucking a few strings,¡± Dirden said. ¡°It was soothing. Whenever he can, he practices on the bus as long as the vibe is OK and everyone¡¯s cool with it.¡±
Dirden first met Berryhill at a friend¡¯s apartment last year in Fayetteville, and was blown away when he starting playing and singing.
¡°It was like you were at a concert,¡± he said. ¡°It was incredible, honestly. It was so effortless, it was fluid. I was the closest thing to a country concert without paying for it.¡±
Berryhill has performed the national anthem a few times during his Minor League career -- including last year before games in Fayetteville and High-A Asheville, which led to an embarrassing but funny moment.
¡°I wasn't playing that day, so I had a big lunch,¡± he said. ¡°Everything was going good. I got to ¡®the rockets¡¯ red glare¡¯ and then I burped on the mic. And the whole crowd was laughing at me. That was a good time.¡±
Berryhill has talked to a few producers and has hopes of getting more serious about his music, but for now he¡¯s focused on baseball. Last year, he slashed .295/.413/.561 across three levels, topping out at Double-A Corpus Christi.
¡°I was very, very happy,¡± he said. ¡°I started off a little slow in Fayetteville. After the long COVID layoff, I was just trying to get back to normal and then something clicked and then it just took off from there. I did not expect to have a season that good, but I¡¯m very happy I did.¡±