Drafted in the 8th round (261st overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2008 (signed for $125,000).
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While Arizona State won the Pac-10 with all its talent, Arizona still earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and finished strong, winning the season-ending series with the Sun Devils. Junior lefty Eric Berger started and won the deciding game of that series and should be drafted right around the ninth round, where he went last year after not pitching all spring. Berger is still coming back from Tommy John surgery that cost him the '07 season. Berger's fastball sat in the 89-90 mph range most of the season, but he was bumping some 92s later in the year. He works up with the fastball and down with a mid- to upper 70s curveball and was trying to regain the feel for his changeup. When he's at his best, his curveball has depth and is a swing-and-miss pitch, and he could move up closer to the fifth round unless his price tag gets too high.
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Berger had Tommy John surgery while at Arizona, costing him the 2007 season. An eighth-round pick as a redshirt junior the following year, he already has surpassed expectations while drawing raves for his competitiveness. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he's deceptive and keeps hitters off balance. Berger's fastball resides at 89-91 mph and touches 93. It has natural cutting life because of how he finishes his pitches, getting off to the side at times. He's still developing his secondary offerings, though his curveball has some promise. It has late bite to get the occasional swing and miss when he's able to release it out front, but he also leaves it up in the zone at times. His changeup has late sink that he's able to repeat with good arm speed, though it also lacks consistency. Berger is a good athlete, but there's a lot of effort in his delivery, and his arm action and over-the-top arm slot are deceptive but difficult to repeat. He's a solid strike thrower, but his unorthodox mechanics lead to difficulties with his secondary pitches and command. Berger has a chance be a back-of-the-rotation starter, and he also could crack the big league roster as a lefthanded reliever. He should open 2010 in Double-A.
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