Is there still some hope for Jacob Berry?

[Kevin Barral]

Those who follow the Marlins minor league system closely have noticed the pattern. From March-May, Jacob Berry simply doesn't hit, and that's a problem for somebody whose value depends on their bat.

At High-A in 2023, Berry was slashing .171/.204/.288/.492 through the end of May. It got even worse the next year with Double-A Pensacola, where he had a .155/.205/.217/.422 slash line through the same stretch of the calendar. By comparison, his 2025 season-opening slump wasn't as extreme (.181/.268/.306/.574), but he still ranked among the worst qualified Triple-A hitters.

"Getting into the season, there's high expectations," Berry told Fish On First during a visit to Jacksonville this week. "Puts a little bit of added pressure instead of just going back out there and playing. Just have to worry about my last at-bat and next at-bat coming up and just letting it go in the past, which is all I can do."

The slow starts have ruined his overall numbers in the minors, but the 2022 first-round pick has done more this time to recover. He slashed .303/.413/.492/.905 with five home runs and 22 RBI during June and July combined. In terms of wRC+, he has been an above-average hitter for the Jumbo Shrimp (102 wRC+).

"Just took a step back and realized that it's not the end of the year," said Berry. "Still got a long year left and we've still got 48 games left. I am just trying to have quality at-bats every time I go up there."

Similar to most of his Jacksonville teammates, Berry is making better swing decisions and stealing more bases than he has in the past. His walk rate has gone from 7.8% in 2024 to 11.7% in 2025 while his strikeout rate has remained stable. His 17 stolen bases is already a career-high.

When new Marlins call-up Jakob Marsee was scratched from Thursday's AAA lineup, Berry filled his shoes in the leadoff spot. That could be his regular spot moving forward after being buried at the bottom of the order for much of this season.

The timing of Berry potentially getting called up himself depends on where the Marlins see him defensively. He was originally drafted as a third baseman, but his playing time at the position has dropped each season (only 12 starts there in 2025). The majority of his appearances this year have come at second base. During Jacksonville's current series against Columbus, he's been exclusively in right field.

"Learning different positions is something new," Berry said. "Feel like I can play them and starting to learn how to play them well is the biggest thing and I just gotta grow in every area."

The 24-year-old switch-hitter will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft during the upcoming offseason. If his production over the final two months looks like the previous two months, Berry could be in consideration for a 40-man roster spot.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Ely brought up the Jacob Berry situation on the Sunday evening call-in show (8/3). I also thought Berry was a possible first base candidate, especially if Wagaman gets a reset assignment to Jacksonville. 

Some players counterintuitively overachieve in the Show vis-à-vis their minor league performances. We might apply that to Heriberto Hernández right now, and several players come to mind from my Expos fandom days. I have a feeling that Berry might be one of those rare cases, too, and I'd like to see it.