PHOENIX — José Berríos turned 30 years old last Monday, giving up an obscure crown in the process.
The two-time MLB All-Star, who began his career with the Minnesota Twins and now pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays, has 88 career wins, which made him the active leader for under-30 pitchers in Major League Baseball, according to baseball-reference.com.
“That’s crazy,” Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen said a few weeks ago. “I didn’t realize he wasn’t 30 yet.”
He is now. And his ascension into the 30-plus category has brought into focus just how few young, accomplished pitchers there are in the majors these days, at least when it comes to traditional stats. Forget about the 300-win milestone that was the gold standard for career pitching excellence over the past century — Roger Clemens is the only player who has hit the mark without getting voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame — even 200 career wins might be out of the question soon.
Thanks to a combination of less usage for starting pitchers and an uptick in arm injuries — particularly Tommy John surgery for elbow ligament damage — the up-and-coming group of 20-something pitchers has been slow to develop. Colorado Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, who turned 29 in February, is now the under-30 leader with 65 career wins, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery.