Name: Jason Berken
Position: Starting Pitcher
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Current Age: 28
Uniform Number: 57
Who is this fucking guy?
He's a former sixth round pick of the Orioles (2006). He got a chance to start for them in 2009 and sucked. He was part of their bullpen in 2010 and wasn't too bad. Then he went back to sucking in 2011 again. He has made one appearance for the Orioles this year, where he got lit up like a Christmas tree. His ERA is only 18.00 because five of the seven runs he gave up were unearned. He will be taking Jeff Samardzija's spot in the rotation for the rest of this season.
How the hell did he end up on the Cubs?
The Orioles designated him for assignment and the Cubs swooped in to claim him four days later. He joins Miguel Socolovich as another former Oriole that the Cubs claimed on waivers in what will hopefully not become a reversal of the MacPhail trend of picking up the Cubs' castoffs.
Did he enjoy the Bears/Packers game on Thursday night?
I would imagine so. He's a Packers season ticket holder. I suppose he can't help it. He was born in Wisconsin.
Is his page on Baseball-Reference.com available to sponsor?
Why yes it is. For the low, low price of $25, you can sponsor Jason Berken's player page on the off chance that someone visits it one day. (By the way, I bought Jeff Baker's page a couple years back for $8 and was shocked to see the prices that B-Ref's pages sell for now).
Is there any particular reason you are highlighting him in a post?
We haven't had a new post in awhile and he happens to be making his first start today for the Cubs.
Why We Might Like Him:
- That is an excellent, excellent question.
- To the best of our knowledge, he is not a serial killer.
Why We Might Hate Him:
- He's not very good and some fans still expect this team to win occasionally.
- He's a Packer fan.
- God help us, he could make us miss Jeff Samardzija
If You Rearrange the Letters in His Name You Get:
BAN JERK NOSE
What Cubs Blogosphere Thinks of Him:
He’s not going to knock your socks off, but he’s got as good a shot at locking down a fifth starter’s job as does someone like Justin Germano.
His stuff is better than some of the more recent pickups. He has a solid arm, sitting at around 91-93 mph and also throws a slider, curve, and change. As recently as 2009, he was rated as the Baltimore Orioles #17 prospect, according to Baseball America.