The last month for Hector Berrios has been about evaluation. In that time the Williams­port Crosscutters’ pitching coach, along with manager Pat Borders, allowed the pitchers on the staff to dictate what role they should take on in the bullpen.

“They basically tell us what they can do,” Berrios said Tuesday after batting practice at Bowman Field.

Players are beginning to find their niche with the Crosscutters, who are in the midst of a playoff push as the second half of the season begins. With 17 pitchers on staff, Berrios is all about having a plan to attack who will take the mound each day.

He has a chart he shares with Borders about who is scheduled to throw, who hasn’t thrown in a while, and who to throw in which situation. It can be hectic, and things can change in a hurry with a short outing from a starting pitcher, but there’s always a plan.

“We can only put them in the best situation to succeed,” Berrios said. “A guy, for example, like Luis Ramirez, I didn’t expect him to take on the role he has. He just kind of took to it and he’s flourishing in that role for us. That first month we’re trying to get them into a flow and see who takes on what role. Then we take it from there and try to win ballgames.”

The Crosscutters’ 3.61 ERA ranks toward the bottom half of the New York-Penn League leaderboard. But the team has put together a pitching staff full of arms Berrios has full confidence in no matter who he runs out to the mound.

Take for example Zach Warren. The left-hander has improved his velocity since being drafted out of the University of Tennessee in June. He’s also defied his own scouting report, staying within the strike zone, walking just four batters in 12 1/3 innings over eight appearances.

During his outing Monday night in a loss to West Virginia, Warren his 94 mph 11 times and 95 twice more. They were eye-popping numbers considering the report Berrios was given on Warren when he was drafted said he would top out at 92.

It’s those kinds of progressions which get Berrios excited. For the most part, he is not making any big changes with any of the pitchers on staff. With the players just drafted this year, this season is about simplifying the philosophies the Phillies want to teach to their young pitchers. With the players who were with the team in extended spring training, it’s about continuing to work on the tweaks they’ve made.

Berrios emphasizes use of the lower half in pitching mechanics to all the players he works with. Because of that work, both Spencer Howard and David Parkinson have mentioned how it’s improved the recovery process with their arm after an outing while also stabilizing their velocity.

With a player like Luis Carrasco, who is still young to pitching, utilization of the lower half is the main focus of his development. Prior to this season there was little use of his lower half despite still throwing a mid to upper-90s fastball.

“As an industry we talk about the kinetic chain, and the kinetic chain goes from the ground up,” Berrios said. “Once they use their lower half, they don’t have to use the upper half as much. It’s almost like a whip. The handle of the whip comes first and then the whip comes. So basically the lower half is like the handle of the whip and the arm will follow suit. Once they get the concept and the understanding, then the work is there and they’re on a maintenance program until they master that.”

At this level of minor league baseball, there’s still much projection left for the pitchers. Berrios’ goal is to put the pitchers here on track to continue their growth as they advance through the system.

But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t get excited about the progress some of his players have already made. He pointed Tuesday to the growth of Ramirez who is pitching stateside for the first time in his career, and Randy Alcantara who has a sub-3.00 ERA pitching outside of rookie ball for the first time.

And then there’s a player like Kyle Young, the 7-foot tall left-hander who has been arguably the Cutters’ best starting pitching all season. Young has showcased an ability to pitch, and the expectation is that Young will eventually find more velocity as his body matures in the coming years.

“When guys like that grow, they tend to grow in height, but their body hasn’t matched up to that growth,” Berrios said. “With him, strength is going to be a factor with him. He’s got a tremendously mature mind with tremendous coordination. Once the strength catches up to the coordination and the mind, I think he’s going to be a mid-to-upper 90s pitcher when he’s all said and done.”