Jacob Berry's bat has woken up 2 months ahead of schedule

[Ely Sussman]

I have never seen anything like it. Miami Marlins prospect Jacob Berry, whose value on the field depends entirely on what he provides offensively, is always helpless at the plate early in the season.

"Helpless" is a strong word, but you can check his track record—it's been warranted.

Early in the 2023 season, Berry was the worst hitter in the Midwest League. Early in the 2024 season, he was the worst hitter in the Southern League. Early in the 2025 season, he was the worst hitter in the International League. Not only worst on his team, but yes, worst in his league (among players who avoided demotion to a lower minor league level). On this date last year, for example, his batting average was .097.

To put this baffling trend in its proper context, I'll use wRC+. With ballpark and league factors taken into account, 100 represents average offensive production. During the past three seasons, here is how long it took for Berry to permanently surpass a 50 wRC+ (production at least half as good as league average):

• June 13 in 2023
• June 23 in 2024
• May 18 in 2025

This spring, when Berry squandered an extended opportunity in big league camp—he went 1-for-25 in Grapefruit League games—it felt like déjà vu.

But to his credit, Berry is off to an uncharacteristically hot start to the 2026 regular season. The best all-around performer in the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp lineup thus far, the switch-hitter enters Saturday with a .333/.405/.472 slash line, one home run, a 141 wRC+ and nearly as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six). He also tops the Marlins MiLB leaderboard with six stolen bases.

The Marlins have been very patient with Berry, playing him in an organization-high 369 minor league games since 2023, his first full professional season. Part of that is giving him every chance to make good on their $6 million investment in him, but his ability to hit hard line drives from both sides of the plate is legitimately enticing. Per Prospect Savant, he ranks in the 87th percentile among all Triple-A hitters in whiff rate this season (making contact on five out of every six swings). Berry's batted ball profile is downright sexy right now, with a higher percentage of liners (35.5%) than grounders (32.3%). Under the hood, his expected stats are fully aligned with his real-life production.

This comes with a big caveat. Berry is repeating the Triple-A level, where he spent the final month of the 2024 season and all of 2025. It's common for minor leaguers to experience dramatic year-to-year improvement based on familiarity with their environment.

After Berry floundered during the first quarter of last season, he hit well throughout the rest of the campaign. And yet, the Marlins never called up the 24-year-old, nor did they protect him in advance of the 2025 Rule 5 draft. He went unselected.

Friday's shutout loss notwithstanding, the Marlins offense has been good in 2026 (ranking top 10 in MLB in most categories). Though they're vulnerable against left-handed pitching, Berry is significantly better against righties, so there isn't a clear fit for him on the roster quite yet. Needless to say, if his current rate stats sustain deep into the summer, he will eventually get a taste of the majors.

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[1993 fan from start]

i did complain Berry was not call up  in 2025. who  did they Victor masa 

[Ely Sussman]

6 hours ago, 1993 fan from start said:

i did complain Berry was not call up  in 2025. who  did they Victor masa 

We saw some of Mesa and Maximo Acosta. If Troy Johnston failed, maybe that would've opened the door for Berry too, but he provided stability in August and September.

[Hippyboi]

Troy has an .805 ops this year. Why we let him go and signed Morel escapes me.