• Full name Ryan Paul Berry
  • Born 08/03/1988 in Humble, TX
  • Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 192 / Bats: R / Throws: R
  • School Rice
  • Drafted in the 9th round (266th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 (signed for $417,600).
    View Draft Report
    Berry doesn't have Stephen Strasburg's stuff, but he was the second-best pitcher in college baseball before he got hurt in mid-March. In consecutive complete-game wins over Texas A&M, Notre Dame and San Diego, he allowed just five hits, an unearned run and no walks while striking out 28. Then he strained a muscle beneath his pitching shoulder in his next start, which sidelined him for five weeks. The Owls eased him back slowly into the rotation and he looked like his early-season self in the Conference USA tournament, firing a two-hitter against Alabama-Birmingham. Two days later, he pitched the ninth inning to save the championship game. In the NCAA Division I regionals, he threw 126 pitches in a loss to Kansas State's A.J. Morris--his teammate at Humble (Texas) High--and pitched the final two innings of the clincher against the Wildcats on one day's rest. Berry's lone plus pitch is his knuckle-curve, yet he took a step forward this spring when he stopped relying on it so much. He has done a better job of throwing his 88-91 mph fastball to both sides of the plate to set up his curve, and he also mixes in a slider and changeup. His fastball has good life and touches 93 at times. He's not physical at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, but he does a good job of repeating his delivery and throwing strikes. His mechanics bother some scouts, as he lands stiff and upright, putting stress on his arm. While Berry's resurgence has him moving back up draft boards, it remains to be seen whether a club will take him high enough (top two rounds) to sign him. Before he was sidelined, teams already were leery of the health of Rice pitchers. Six of the eight Owls pitchers drafted in the first or supplemental first round this decade (Kenny Baugh, Jon Skaggs, Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann, Wade Townsend, Joe Savery) have had elbow or shoulder surgery in college or early in their pro careers.

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  • Rated Best Control in the Baltimore Orioles in 2011

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