DUNEDIN, Fla. – Team officials, reporters and camera operators often gather behind the chain-link fence near the gang mounds at the Blue Jays’ player development complex to watch bullpen sessions during spring training.
Right-hander Jose Berrios is usually mixed in among them.
The veteran starter — a real student of the game — uses the opportunity to study his teammates’ techniques during their throwing sessions.
“I’m just trying to know them more and see how they move, see how the pitch is doing,” Berrios said Thursday. “That way you can learn.”
The standing area is just a couple of feet behind where the catchers crouch down, providing a stellar view of the pitcher’s arm angle and ball movement. Berrios will work his way along the fence to soak up as many sessions as possible.
When you see them (throw), they all have different mindsets with little things,” he said. “Seeing their pitches, seeing how they throw it, you can get better too. We always learn from everybody.”
Berrios had a solid 2023 campaign after a down year in ’22. He was 11-12 over 32 starts last season, trimming his earned-run average by over a run and a half to 3.65.