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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2005		Berg's awful two-year contract ended at season's close. The team's stubborn refusal to release him last year, instead using him for a while in left field, was one of the blights on a lost season. Berg may have played his last major league game. He's a good example of what happens to utility infielders who can't play shortstop.
2004		It was a misstep to hand Berg a two-year deal, but he has his uses. He could have gotten more playing time, as he did in 2002, but he suffered from some strange form of fatigue that left him dizzy and easily worn out; eventually it pushed him onto the DL. When he could play, he did mash lefties, but that hasn't been something he's done consistently. If that sticks, he might be able to wring a few more years out of his career.
2003		Non-tendered by the Marlins, who were awash in utility players, Berg settled for a minor league deal with a team in need of his skills and proceeded to post the best season of his career. Berg can play six positions and contribute offensively without much of a platoon split. That’s a handy package given the roster limitations caused by 11-man pitching staffs. There was mutual interest in him returning, resulting in a two-year contract last December.
2002		The Marlins seem to print utility players. Berg has been around for a while. Chris Clapinski has never gotten a clean shot because of Berg. Craig Counsell spent some time here, although he wasn't developed in this system. Amaury Garcia and Cesar Crespo were dealt away because there was no place for them to play. Matt Erickson and Pablo Ozuna are now on that track. Weird... anyway, Berg is gone, non-tendered by the Fish and trying to latch on with the Blue Jays.
2001		Despite Alex Gonzalez’s pathetic 2000 season, Dave Berg wasn’t moved into a starting role because his ability to play six positions makes him so valuable off the bench, plus he was playing with a partially torn rotator cuff. A bench player’s numbers can fluctuate wildly from year to year due to limited at bats, so don’t let last year fool you--Berg is one of the best utility men in the game.
2000		One of the Aven class, Berg actually won his job in the second half of 1998. He should be one of the best fifth infielders in baseball for the next few years; he can play three positions, is patient, has doubles power and can start for a week and not hurt the team.
1998		You would think a shortstop who hits .300 every year with his secondary skills would get someone’s attention. You would also think that major league teams would give up on Ruben Sierra and that no one would consider Keanu Reeves a fine actor. It’s not a perfect world, and right now those imperfections are particularly cruel for Berg, who may never get the chance he deserves.
1997		A virtual unknown, Berg possesses a tantalizing combination of talents for a shortstop. Vlad predicts his power/speed combination to improve dramatically next year, and there are least half a dozen teams that would improve with him as their starter. But he’s too old to be considered a top prospect in an organization full of them, and he’ll probably never get the chance to show what he can do.

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