Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40 

Berry received national freshman of the year honors in 2021 after batting .352/.439/.676 with 17 homers at Arizona, setting school first-year records and leading the Pacific-12 Conference in extra-base hits (41), total bases (167) and RBI (70). When Wildcats coach Jay Johnson moved on to Louisiana State, Berry followed him to Baton Rouge and continued to rake. Though his defensive home remains a question, he'll still be one of the first college bats off the board in July. 

Equally productive from both sides of the plate, Berry has drawn some comparisons to a switch-hitting version of Andrew Vaughn (the No. 3 choice in 2019) for his ability to hit for power and average while controlling the strike zone. He hammers fastballs and handles breaking balls and changeups well. He has a quality swing and approach from both sides, makes repeated hard contact and shows a propensity for driving the ball in the air. 

Berry spent most of his freshman season as a DH and played just nine of his 63 games in the field at third base, which has been his primary position with the Tigers. He has below-average speed and average arm strength and he's rigid at the hot corner, so most scouts believe he'll have to move elsewhere as a pro. He has looked decent at times in right field but there's a good chance that he winds up at first base -- where he'll have no problem fitting the offensive profile. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

After earning national freshman of the year accolades at Arizona in 2021, Berry followed coach Jay Johnson to Louisiana State and had another monster year. He offered one of the best combinations of hitting ability, power and plate discipline in the 2022 Draft, so the Marlins selected him sixth overall and signed him for $6 million. He has surprisingly struggled at the plate in his first three years as a pro, though he did have his best stretch of success yet in the second half of 2024.

A switch-hitter, Berry has a quality swing from both sides but lost his patient approach and chased too many pitches out of the zone while trying to make up for a slow start in 2023. The same was true when he posted a dismal .155/.205/.217 line in the first two months of this season, but he looked more like his college self while batting after the all-star break. There were some worries that his pedestrian exit velocities in college might mean that he'd be more of a hit-over-power guy as a pro, and he looks like he might top out at 15-20 homers per season.

Drafted as a third baseman, Berry has below-average speed and average arm strength at the hot corner, with most scouts questioning whether he was athletic enough to remain there. He has decent range and can make some nice plays, but he also made 20 errors in 69 starts at third in 2023. Miami had him play more first base in Double-A last season to lessen his defensive load, and he started to hit better once he became primarily a right fielder in the second half of this year.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50 

Berry earned national freshman of the year honors at Arizona in 2021 before following coach Jay Johnson to Louisiana State. He continued to thrive in Baton Rouge, posting a 1.094 OPS with more extra-base hits (24) and walks (27) than strikeouts (22), en route to going sixth overall in the 2022 Draft and signing for $6 million. He shockingly has struggled to make much impact at the plate in his first two pro seasons. 

Berry offered perhaps the most tantalizing combination of hitting ability, power and patience in the 2022 college crop, drawing comparisons to a switch-hitting version of Andrew Vaughn. He has a quality swing and advanced approach from both sides, showing more pop as a left-handed hitter, though those attributes have yet to translate into pro production. His relatively pedestrian exit velocities were the lone concern about him in college and he hasn't hit the ball hard in the Minors, while his approach has regressed significantly. 

After Berry spent most of his freshman year at DH and split his sophomore year between third base and right field, there are questions about where he will wind up defensively. He has below-average quickness and average arm strength, and most scouts think he lacks the athleticism to play the hot corner in the big leagues. He could be adequate in an outfield corner and most likely will wind up at first base.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 55 

After Berry earned national freshman of the year accolades at Arizona in 2021, Wildcats coach Jay Johnson moved on to Louisiana State and Berry followed him to Baton Rouge. He continued to rake, posting a 1.094 OPS with more extra-base hits (24) and walks (27) than strikeouts (22). Offering the best combination of hitting ability, power and patience in the 2022 college crop, he went sixth overall in the Draft and signed for $6 million.  

Berry is equally productive from both sides of the plate and has been likened to a switch-hitting version of Andrew Vaughn, the No. 3 overall pick in 2019. He has a quality swing and advanced approach as both a lefty and righty hitter, hammering all types of pitching. His exit velocities were relatively low this spring and he did a better job of driving the ball from the left side than the right, but he still did a lot of damage. 

The biggest concern is where Berry will wind up defensively after he spent most of his freshman season at DH and split his sophomore year between third base and right field. He has below-average speed and average arm strength, and most scouts believe he lacks the athleticism to man the hot corner in the big leagues. He should be adequate on an outfield corner, but there's a good chance he winds up at first base -- though he'll fit the offensive profile wherever he winds up. 

Awards

AFL Rising Stars

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/27/2024	3B Jacob Berry assigned to Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp from Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
	03/07/2024	Miami Marlins Prospects activated 3B Jacob Berry.
	02/05/2024	3B Jacob Berry roster status changed by Miami Marlins.
	02/05/2024	Miami Marlins invited non-roster 3B Jacob Berry to spring training.
	11/03/2023	National League Fall Stars activated 3B Jacob Berry.
	11/03/2023	3B Jacob Berry assigned to National League Fall Stars.
	09/28/2023	Pensacola Blue Wahoos activated 3B Jacob Berry.
	09/22/2023	Peoria Javelinas activated 3B Jacob Berry from the 7-day injured list.
	09/01/2023	Pensacola Blue Wahoos placed 3B Jacob Berry on the 7-day injured list.
	07/25/2023	3B Jacob Berry assigned to Pensacola Blue Wahoos from Beloit Sky Carp.
	07/25/2023	Pensacola Blue Wahoos activated 3B Jacob Berry.
	04/05/2023	3B Jacob Berry assigned to Beloit Sky Carp from Jupiter Hammerheads.
	01/25/2023	3B Jacob Berry roster status changed by Miami Marlins.
	01/25/2023	Miami Marlins invited non-roster 3B Jacob Berry to spring training.
	08/02/2022	3B Jacob Berry assigned to Jupiter Hammerheads from FCL Marlins.
	08/02/2022	Jupiter Hammerheads activated 3B Jacob Berry.
	07/28/2022	Miami Marlins signed 3B Jacob Berry.
	07/28/2022	3B Jacob Berry assigned to FCL Marlins.
	06/10/2022	3B Jacob Berry assigned to College Workout.
	03/01/2022	3B Jacob Berry and assigned to Louisiana State Tigers.