On Thursday night, the New York Yankees walked off the Boston Red Sox thanks to a Juan Soto hit up the middle in the tenth inning. The All-Star slugger, of course, was primarily responsible for breaking a 1-1 tie and sending everybody home happy.
However, if you look closely at the play, you can see and conclude that not every baserunner would have scored from second on that hard ground ball. The Yankees, of course, had sent Jon Berti to run for Gleyber Torres, knowing that he could give them an edge in the base-running department. And he did.
That’s when you realize that having Berti as a pinch-running weapon can give the Yanks many options and a huge competitive advantage. Berti isn’t just fast: he knows how to run the bases. And that was definitely on display on Thursday night in that tenth inning against Boston.
Jon Berti’s legs give the Yankees an interesting weapon
On the shelf since late May with a high-grade calf strain, Berti’s recovery process was long and tedious. It took him several months to rehab and earn his way back to a crowded roster. But here he is, showing that his legs can be a game-changer and that can be huge in September and, especially, October.
Let’s not forget that this is a player who stole 41 bases in 2022 and 16 in 2023 with the Miami Marlins. He is very, very fast. He has been limited to four thefts this season with the Yankees because he has only played 19 games. Now that he is healthy, however, he can give the teams solutions defensively, with his versatility, and on the basepaths.
Offensively, the upside is limited but the floor, evidenced by his .273 batting average and his .322 OBP, is fair. With full health, Berti is a very useful player to have around and he showed that in the Yankees’ most recent win.
