In as rapid a rise as one can have, Cincinnati Reds’ top pitching prospect Chase Burns has steamrolled through the minor leagues and will make his MLB debut Tuesday night. Making his first start against the New York Yankees, he has a tall order ahead of him.
With how he’s performed to this point, though, there’s no reason to believe his domination won’t continue with the Reds. Here’s a look at Burns’ path to this point, and what to expect when he takes the mound.
Having only 13 games under his belt across the minor leagues, Burns’ sample size isn’t the biggest, but it hasn’t had to be. Every time he’s taken a step up, he’s mown down the batters in front of him.
In his three games in A+ with the Dayton Dragons, Burns finished with a 3.09 ERA and an opposing batters’ average of .125. These performances included 20 strikeouts, five walks, five hits, and two home runs.
Once promoted to AA with the Chattanooga Lookouts, Burns got the most room to stretch and turned his game up even more. He played in eight games and finished with 55 strikeouts, four walks, 26 hits, and three homers with a 1.29 ERA and an opposing batters’ average of .177.
Again, once Burns was promoted to AAA with the Louisville Bats, he continued his dominance. He played in only two games, posting 14 strikeouts, four walks, seven hits, and no home runs with a 2.19 ERA and an opposing batters’ average of .171.
Every promotion this kid has been given has been rewarded with superb performances. So what kind of play can the Reds expect to see once he reaches the show?
Burns is a pitcher with a variety of pitches to work with, at different speeds. His primary pitch is his fastball, and he also mixes in a healthy dose of curveballs, sliders, and changeups.
Burns’s fastball is a heater, consistently flirting with triple digits. His curveball clocks in around the lower 80s, and his slider and change-up both fall between in the mid to upper 80s.
While the healthy pitch diet will help keep batters guessing, the speed variety will also keep them off balance. This is the goal of every pitcher, and Burns has the exact toolset to make it happen regularly.
At this point, Burns has shown just about everything a team would want to see in a pitching prospect. What it comes down to, then, is the intangibles.
As far as his game goes, Burns has proved he has what it takes to carve up the minor leagues at all three levels. While that doesn’t always translate to the MLB, every aspect of his game indicates that he will be an effective major league pitcher.
Burns has velocity, variety, and commanding control of the strike zone. Posting significantly more strikeouts than walks at every level (while limiting hits), he’s proven to be one of the most difficult pitchers to reach base off of in any system.
While Burns may not look as in control in his initial outing, Reds fans have every reason to trust that his development trajectory will continue. His first pitch will come at 7:10 pm this Tuesday (June 24) against the Yankees, as the Reds look to get their season back on track.
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