Woodcreek High Alum Eric Berger Pitching His Way Through Minors

The handlebar mustache and wavy, almost mullet-like hair is vastly different from the look Eric Berger sported at .

That guy could never have grown such a ‘stache.

"I was planning on being Captain Hook for Halloween, so this makes it an easy go," Berger said. "Why not? It's perfect. I wouldn't have kept it, but the guys and fans seem to like it, so I let it go."

Seven years after setting many Woodcreek High School records as a clean-shaven teenager, the hairy, former Timberwolf is working his way up the Cleveland Indians organization.

Pitching for Double-A Akron, the Roseville resident has struck out 59 batters in 52 1/3 innings, plus 11 more in a 7 1/3-inning stint at Triple-A Columbus, though that came with 14 hits and nine walks allowed.

While strikeouts have been the key to Berger's ascension -- he's fanned 341 batters in 356 minor-league innings, while only allowing 320 hits -- walks have kept him back.

As a starter with Akron and Columbus in 2010, Berger walked 72 in 112 innings. Pitching in shorter relief stints seems to have helped him develop consistency.

"I've thrown a lot of pitches throughout my career," Berger said. "I wouldn't say I'm ‘that guy’, but I'd like to work on getting quick outs. I'd trade a strikeout or a walk for a first-pitch pop out. But when you get 0-2, you're going to think about [a strikeout]. I need to be more consistent around the zone."

This was never a problem growing up, where Berger was always among the best players, from fifth grade through middle and high school, and on travelling teams. In 2003, he played for the USA Junior National Team that took a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

As a senior at Woodcreek, he went 9-2 with a 0.97 ERA, and led the state of California with 171 strikeouts, more than two per inning. He also batted .409, as the Timberwolves took the Sacramento sectional championship. Individually, he was named the Sacramento Bee "Player of the Year."

His name remains splattered among Timberwolves standouts. Offensively, his 29 career doubles and 103 RBIs -- including 46 during his senior season -- are records.

True excellence came on the mound. He posted ERAs of 0.59 and 0.97 as a junior and senior, respectively, the first- and third-best seasons in school history, and holds career marks in ERA (1.11), wins (25) and strikeouts (447).

Berger turned down an offer from the Tampa Bay Rays out of high school to attend the University of Arizona, and eventually would miss part of 2006 and all of 2007 after undergoing Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.

"It's going to happen eventually," Berger said. "It wasn't good timing for me because my first year back was my draft year and my numbers weren't as good as I would've liked. So I had to get over that. Everybody has a different road."

Returning in 2008, Berger made 18 appearances and posted a 4.34 ERA. The Indians saw enough to select him in the eighth round.

Berger said he wouldn't trade the college experience. He majored in regional development, but wants to focus more on geology because of a passion for science.

"I really like geology stuff, gem stones and what not," he said. "That's interesting to me. Maybe it's because I'm left-handed and a more ‘out there’ kind of thinker."

There's always the American Mustache Institute.

"It's more work than not having it," said Berger, who hopes to discuss pitching and grooming one day with Hall-of-Famer Rollie Fingers. "There are more things I have to do to prepare for my day, but it's fun."

As for Halloween, Berger may have to pass. Because his innings total will be considerably lower as a reliever, he plans to play winter ball, which will leave his family and friends scrambling for a Captain Hook sporting a costume-shop mustache.

"I'm upset that I'll miss it," Berger said. "We had it all planned out with the family being different characters. We had Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Rufio, the dog, everything. We were going to have it all."