DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Blue Jays manager John Schneider keeps saying that his club needs to hit the ground running. Players are talking about this, too. It’s up to José Berríos to run the first leg of 162.
Berríos was named the Blue Jays’ Opening Day starter Monday morning, marking the third time he’ll take the ball in the opener for the Blue Jays -- and the fifth time in his career. Even with Berríos becoming the obvious option in recent days, given how the rotation lines up and his performance in 2024, you could still sense such a deep sense of appreciation from the 30-year-old.
“It’s like when I was a young kid growing up, that first day of school,” Berríos said. “You always had that feeling of being happy and excited. You want to get to that day as quickly as possible, meet new people and everything. Now, in baseball, having that first day, you’re using everything new -- your cleats, your glove, your uniform. It’s a special day. It’s been getting more special for me, too, because my three kids are growing up and they now understand what that means. I feel happy. I feel proud.”
In so many ways, Berríos represents the best of the Blue Jays. His consistency is nearly unmatched across baseball, something that even veteran pitchers marvel at.
Berríos’ performance itself has been remarkably consistent, but even more impressive is his ability to stay healthy in an era when pitchers are pushing their bodies further and further.
This is where Berríos’ reputation as "La Makina" comes in. Other pitchers tend to chuckle and shake their head when asked about Berríos’ workouts and routines between his starts. He’s built like a linebacker, but he's managed to keep his flexibility and fluidity, which is difficult. Berríos typically looks just as strong in September as he does in March.
“It rubs off, for sure, and I think everyone can take a little bit of what he does to put into their own routine,” Schneider said. “I know that Bowden [Francis] has talked about that. Everyone is a little bit different, but I think it just sets a standard of what we’re trying to do here. As he gets older, he adjusts it. Guys who have been through it, whether it’s Kevin [Gausman] or Chris [Bassitt] or Max [Scherzer], they’ve adjusted already. He’s just a model of consistency.”
Schneider had options here. Gausman could be the Opening Day starter on plenty of teams in Major League Baseball -- and he might end up being the ace of this staff given how strong he’s looked in camp. But Berríos leads the group now.
“We have a group of guys that you could pick out of a hat,” Schneider said. “But I’m just really excited with the work [Berríos] has put in. The body of work over his career is awesome. The type of teammate that he is and how he’s been able to move forward with the stuff he’s been doing has a pitcher, it’s encouraging.”
This group is a fascinating blend of styles and personalities.
Berríos represents the quiet intensity, the pitcher who is always “on," always doing something to get better. Gausman, Bassitt and Francis are all their own version of laid-back, but each is a student of the game who approaches pitching as a true craft. Scherzer, the veteran en route to the Hall of Fame, brings an aura few pitchers can match. It all works together so well.
“Sometimes, I don’t know how this happened,” Berríos said. “I know it’s because God wanted it, and that’s the way I see it. This is a solid and amazing pitching rotation. We have a lot of veterans. We have a lot of good talent. They all have the chance to pitch that day, but God chose me to throw that day. I take that with a lot of pride and honor, but also a respect for my teammates, knowing they’ve got my back. I have to go out there and do my best.”
You can typically pencil in Berríos’ stat line before the season begins. Outside of an outlier 2022 season (5.23 ERA, career highs in homers and hits allowed), he’s been rock solid, a safe bet for 32 starts with an ERA somewhere around his 3.60 from last season.
The Blue Jays need it all again from Berríos, and if they’re truly going to hit the ground running, he and this rotation need to be out in front.