Steward Berroa is a high energy type of person. He likes to have fun and believes that baseball is tough enough without putting added pressure on yourself. That personality perfectly fits his style of play on the field. Since coming over from the Brewers organization, Berroa has been a sparkplug on the field for Lehigh Valley.
“I would say it’s (his style of play) part of my personality. I like to be happy and bring good energy; I know the game is hard enough and it’s not good for me to be a low energy guy,” said Berroa in an exclusive interview with Philly Baseball News. “I like to enjoy the game. I never know when it’s going to be my last day, so I enjoy it.”
Berroa has had his IronPigs uniform for just 10 games now, but is hitting .326 (14-43) with a .370 OBP and .581 SLG. The 27-year-old isn’t known as a power hitter – his career high in home runs came in 2024 when he hit 10 with Buffalo – but he has hit a pair of home runs and driven in eight runs hitting primarily out of the leadoff spot for the IronPigs.
The Brewers recently designated Berroa for assignment and the Phillies called looking to work a deal. After purchasing his contract from Milwaukee, the Phillies optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Ironically, having played against minor league teams from the Phillies, including playing at Coca-Cola Park as a member of the Buffalo Bisons, Berroa had taken notice of the organization. He was impressed with how they did things and the facilities and amenities that they provided for their players and thought that at some point he might enjoy being a part of their organization. It just came sooner than he would have expected.
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Watching Berroa play, the first thing that stands out is his speed. While he has a little pop and puts up solid numbers, that’s not the true story of Berroa. His game is the kind of game that puts pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses. He’s a gnat; a pesty sort of player that you hate to have playing against you, but love having on your team. Berroa crossed the 50 steal plateau once in his career and has flirted with it in a couple of other seasons. That kind of speed immediately gives him value as a late-inning weapon, whether it’s pinch-running, taking extra bases, or forcing mistakes from opposing defenses.
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That speed also translates defensively. Berroa can play all three outfield spots, and his range allows him to cover significant ground, especially in center field. For an organization that values run prevention and flexibility, that’s a meaningful asset. He doesn’t need to hit in the middle of the order to help a team win games. He can impact them on the margins.
How He Helps the Phillies Organization
Berroa’s hit profile doesn’t blow you away, but he can find ways to get on base and then beat teams with his speed. In his fourth season at Triple-A, Berroa has a slash line of .260/.354/.387/.741 with 71 stolen bases in 90 attempts, for a 78-percent success rate, just below his career average of 80-percent.
With both Toronto and Milwaukee, Berroa had a taste of the majors. With Toronto is 2024 he played 28 games at the major league level and hit .189 (7-37). Last season, Milwaukee gave him just two games in the majors and he went 0-5 in those games.
The perfect situation would be for Berroa to become Johan Rojas with the ability to get on base more. It’s not at all out of the question that he could become that type of player. His defense is strong, he’s got the speed of Rojas, and has the ability to be a sparkplug for a team.
In a worst case scenario, he his a talented Triple-A player who can help the big league team in short stints when needed.
As with most players, he is likely somewhere in the middle of the two potentials.
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