Selected in the 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of the United States Military Academy at West Point… graduated from West Point on May 26, 2024 in front of President Joe Biden… signed with the Pirates on July 22, 2024 and received a $172,500 signing bonus... the catcher/infielder became the 21st West Point graduate to be selected in an MLB Draft and first since OF Jacob Hurtubise was selected by Seattle in 2019… Berg became the highest-selected Army player since LHP Nick Hill was taken in the seventh round by Seattle in 2007… became the third Army player drafted by the Pirates, joining Chris Simmons (41st round, 2008) and Cole White (42nd round, 2008)… became the first Army catcher to sign with an MLB organization since Jon Rosoff, who graduated from West Point in 2018 and played in the Tigers organization from 2018-2023… Berg spent four seasons at Army, where he was in Company G4 and branched field artillery… played at Conroe High School in Conroe, Texas before attending West Point… was teammates at Army from 2023-24 with his younger brother, Andrew Berg, a right-handed pitcher who led Army in ERA in 2024; Andrew Berg (Company E3) is due to graduate in 2026… was teammates in 2023 with former Army first baseman Ross Friedrick, who (as of 2024) plays in the St. Louis Cardinals organization
Berg led the Army Black Knights to their sixth consecutive Patriot League Tournament Championship and berth in the NCAA Regionals in 2024 and started all but one game, seeing time at catcher, first and second base… hit 15 home runs, tied for most on the team, and was one of two players with a 1.000 or higher OPS in 2024… in four seasons, Berg hit .298 with 29 homers, 118 RBIs, 79 walks, 45 doubles, 169 runs scored and 196 hits in 658 at-bats… in 2024, he finished with a 28-game on-base streak and hit .396 in Patriot League regular season games… was named Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and to the Preseason Patriot League All-Conference Team in 2024… won Patriot League Player of the Week Honors April 16 and April 23 and was named to Patriot League All-League First Team after regular season… in 2023, Berg was selected First Team All-Patriot League and ABCA/Rawlings Northeast All-Region Second Team... he started in 56 games slashing .312/.558/.392 and finished third in the Patriot League in hits (72) and led the Patriot League in runs (66)… was a First Team All-Patriot League honoree as a second baseman in 2022… at Conroe, he was a two-time All-District selection, a team captain, named 2020 Academic All-State, First Team All-District Utility Player and was a member of the National Honor Society… saw time in three collegiate summer leagues from 2021-2023: he appeared in 11 games for the Florence Flamingos of the Coastal Plain League in 2021, saw action in nine game with the Marthas Vineyard Sharks of the New England Collegiate League in 2022 and hit .273 with two homers, four RBIs and five runs scored in seven game for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League in 2023... parents are Sherry and Adam Berg... born in Shenandoah, Texas and grew up in Conroe, Texas... the latest Conroe High School product to play professional baseball, joining Jeromy Burnitz, Andrew Cashner and Rod Myers
2024
Made his Minor League debut with the Pirates' Single-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders, on Aug. 6, 2024 at St. Lucie... collected his first hit and later his first professional home run, an inside-the-park grand slam, in his second career game on Aug. 8 at St. Lucie