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Chase Burns
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
Though Burns reached 100 mph with his fastball and drew some first-round interest as a Tennessee high schooler, he fell to the Padres in the 20th round of the 2021 Draft because he was set on pitching at Tennessee. He starred in the Volunteers' rotation as a freshman but logged a 6.10 ERA in eight starts in 2023, prompting a move to a long-relief role in which he thrived. He ranked third in NCAA Division I in strikeout rate (14.3 per nine innings) and helped Tennessee reach the College World Series, then opted to transfer to Wake Forest. He parlayed a spectacular junior season into being the No. 2 overall pick in the Draft, tying a record with fellow 2024 draftee Charlie Condon with his $9.25 million bonus.
Burns operates at 97-99 mph and reaches 102 with his heater, but it's fairly straight and batters get a good look at it coming out of his high arm slot, so it gets hit harder than it should at times. His tight slider is a true beast that sits in the upper 80s and has generated a 60 percent swing-and-miss rate during the last two seasons. He also owns a plus low-80s curveball.
Burns rarely uses his upper-80s changeup but it can be a plus pitch with significant fade when it's on. He has a history of throwing strikes and has improved his overall command this spring, though he's still going to need to locate his fastball with more precision at the next level. He has the ceiling of a frontline starter, even if there is a little bit of reliever risk. - mlbpipeline
Closed his mouth before attempting him. There were closed mouth pics of him at UT and Wake but he looked too much like a kid. He's there top prospect so I'll redo him if he ever gets an official, closed mouth Spring Training photo.
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