Prospect Q&A: Berrios eyes roster spot

Selected in the first round of the 2012 Draft out of Papa Juan XXIII High School in Puerto Rico, Jose Berrios has frontline starter written all over him.

The fifth-ranked prospect in the Twins organization -- and the No. 3 pitcher behind Kohl Stewart and Alex Meyer -- Berrios does not turn 21 until May, but he already knows he wants to spend Opening Day on the 25-man roster.

He went 12-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 140 strikeouts over 140 innings across three levels in 2014, and he knows that if he works hard he has every chance to contribute in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

We caught up with the right-hander to discuss what pitch he's adding to his arsenal, how he's handling being a new dad, the soda bottle that makes him laugh when he goes shopping and his dreams of becoming a Hall of Famer.

MiLB.com: How's your offseason going?

Jose Berrios: I'm in Puerto Rico with my family: my daughter, my wife, mom, everybody. I get time to see all my family and see my nephew, my uncle. I enjoy that -- spending time with all of them. Right now, I'm working out every day, every morning, seven days a week, then I'm throwing and long-tossing five days a week and spending some time with my family for the offseason.

I work out in the gym, do track and field, running, everything, just combinations for my body and my mind. It's important for me to be ready for the next season. My goal this year is to play in the Major Leagues in April, from Opening Day. It's not my decision, it's a team decision, but for me, I need to get ready to play baseball all year.

MiLB: How old is your daughter? Did she travel with you during the season?

Berrios: Not the past year, but next year they're coming with me all season. My wife, Jannieliz, is 18 and my daughter, Valentina, is eight months. She was born in May when I played in the Florida State League. It was a hard situation for me, but I tried to keep a strong mind and work hard, then I flew to Puerto Rico to be with my wife.

MiLB: Were you able to speak with them every day? Maybe Skype or Facetime?

Berrios: Every day. Every day I go on Facetime and see my daughter and my wife and say hello and ask how they're doing.

MiLB: Looking back at your 2014 season, how would you evaluate the year you had, considering you pitched at three different levels?

Berrios: It was a big season for me. I worked hard every day because I wanted to do better every day. I worked hard and I want to work even more. Fort Myers, the Florida State Leagu --, it's very impressive. Every field has a Spring Training team so they're all big league fields.

There are lots of prospects on the other teams, but I worked hard every day and tried to do better. Double-A, Triple-A -- they're different leagues, but it's the same baseball. It's a different environment. The players and more experience at Double-A and Triple-A, but there are still a lot of prospects at High-A, 20, 21-year-old players.

MiLB: How much would you say you've improved since you broke into the Minors in 2012?

Berrios: A lot. I have learned a lot from my coaches, from my teammates, everybody. If I have a chance to learn, I learn. I try to learn something new every day, for baseball or for life. I learn something every day from somebody. I always learn more about how to play the game or how to help my teammates improve. Baseball is a game that you play as a team. You need to know how to play as a team.

MiLB: Is your repertoire still the same or has it changed as you've grown?

Berrios: I throw a fastball, changeup, curveball. My best pitch is a strike. Every pitch I throw for a strike is my best pitch. I want to learn a two-seam fastball this year for 2015. I'm working on that this offseason. I need a pitch for the big hitters in the Major Leagues. I have a fastball, changeup, curveball, but I need one more pitch to compete with those hitters. I started practicing the two-seamer this offseason. [It is] maybe two miles [slower] than the fastball and it has more movement because it's a different pitch to the fastball. I want to learn another pitch, but right now it's just that one.

MiLB: Among your accomplishments last season, where does starting the Futures Game in Minnesota rank?

Berrios: That experience was perfect. I got to play with a lot of prospects in Minnesota and I got to play in front of my fans. This will be my home in Minnesota, so I thank God for giving me that experience. I got to play with a lot of people from Puerto Rico and a lot of people on the other team from the USA. I spent four days in Minnesota, Friday through Monday. It was exciting. I work hard every day and I hope I will play there in the Major Leagues soon one day. I need to spend more time there, but it was beautiful to play there and I want to play there every day.

MiLB: Take me back to when the Twins selected you in the first round of the 2012 Draft. What do you remember about that day?

Berrios: I remember everything. When the Twins called me, I remember saying, "Oh, thank God. I got it. I can play professional baseball now. I can follow my dream to play professional baseball." Minnesota said nothing to me before they drafted me. I was with family, friends, everybody, for the Draft in Puerto Rico. We watched it on TV and everybody was happy and I celebrated with my family and friends. There was maybe 150 people there, a lot of people.

MiLB: How proud does it make you being able to represent your country?

Berrios: I feel proud to be the highest-drafted pitcher from Puerto Rico, but I need to work every day. My dream, my goal, is to be a Hall of Famer and be the best ever pitcher from Puerto Rico, so I need to work. It's not just about being the highest Draft pick.

MiLB: Would you say you're famous in Puerto Rico?

Berrios: Me? Yeah, a little bit. But I stay humble. Coca-Cola told me they wanted to use my [Twitter] username on their bottles and asked if I was OK with that and I said, "Sure, I like that, I like that idea." It's everywhere. I see it when I go shopping. I got five bottles for everyone in my family. It's funny.

The bottle says "JOLaMaquina." La Maquina means "the machine". My personal trainer gave me that name. He says I work hard every day, so I'm "La Maquina." I've had it for maybe four years. My family and friends and everybody in Puerto Rico calls me Orlando. My teammates, the staff from Minnesota, they call me Jose.

Mi botella @cokepuertorico #LaMaquina Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/Qc2dbHaaUA

- Jose O. Berrios (@JOlaMaquina) November 7, 2014

MiLB: Looking ahead a little to next season, what would you like to accomplish?

Berrios: My first goal is to play in the big leagues from Opening Day. That is my first goal -- to play in the Major Leagues. Then my next goal is to play the season strong and healthy. I want to work hard all of the year.

MiLB: There are a lot of talented players in Minnesota's system. Who did you enjoy playing with last year?

Berrios: In Fort Myers and New Britain, there were a lot of good players and at Triple-A, there were a lot of big leaguers. My best teammate from High-A and Double-A is Jorge Polanco. He's a good teammate and a good player, too. I've been teammates with him in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He's a good player, good defensive and he covers both sides of the plate. He has a good baseball sense -- he's very intelligent when he plays baseball.

Kennys Vargas is crazy. He's one of the best hitters. I watch him and say, "Wow. How? How did he do that?" He has a lot of power. I played with Eddie Rosario in Double-A. He's a good hitter, he has a good approach. He works hard on his discipline and I think he will play in the Major Leagues. I played with [Byron] Buxton a little bit, five games in High-A and just one game in Double-A. Everybody stopped when he got hurt [in his Double-A debut]. Everybody was scared.

Berrios: Are you friends with Puerto Rican players in other organizations?

MiLB: I know a lot of the players -- Javier Baez, Jorge Lopez, Francisco Lindor, Steven Moya. Every Puerto Rican player -- and a lot of the Dominican players, too -- talk with each other. We tell each other, "Come on, keep going, get stronger."

MiLB: You speak English very well. Does it help having other players like that to learn a new language with?

Berrios: I learned English in school in elementary and second grade, but I learned more when I signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2012. I learned a little bit in school but not too much. When I lived in the United States, the first time I lived there two months and the second year I lived five months, so I learned a lot being in the United States. It was hard, but my manager said I needed to learn more English and I said I could do it. I learned from other people -- the other guys helped me speak English. Everyone from the Minnesota Twins and every player helped me. Now I can talk with everybody.

MiLB: Growing up, did you always want to play baseball?

Berrios: It was all baseball, everything baseball, baseball, baseball. It's been my dream since I was a young kid. I watched Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Jose Fernandez, a lot of pitchers.

MiLB: Can you be as good as those guys in the future?

Berrios: Yeah, why not?