MLB Draft Profile- Chase Burns

At Draft Nation, the MLB draft talk never ends. We will get you ready for the 2024 draft with player profiles and mock drafts so you can see who your favorite team may add to their roster. 

Today’s Spotlight - Wake Forest- Starting Pitcher, Chase Burns

Name- Chase Burns

Pos- SP

Team- Wake Forest

HT/WT- 6’4”  215 lbs

Born- 1/16/2003

Home – Naples, Italy

Burns attended Station Camp High School in Tennessee. He went 6-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched as a senior in 2021, and was named the number one player in the state before electing to join Tennessee to begin his college career.

As a freshman, Burns posted a 2.91 ERA in 80.1 innings. He had 17 appearances with 14 starts. 

Burns' sophomore year was a bit different as 10 of his 18 appearances were in relief. He posted a 4.25 ERA in 72 innings, and made 2 saves.

Burns transferred to Wake Forest following his sophomore year in 2023. He is off to a fantastic start in his first 3 starts of the year, pitching 20 innings and posting a 1.35 ERA with an impressive 39 strikeouts, and an opposing batting average of .104.

Burns throws a high velocity fastball which touches 100 on any given day. He also has high spin rates on his offspeed pitches. These include a hard slider which sits in the low 90's and a curveball which has more depth than sweep. He also has a changeup which is in the mid-80's, but he rarely uses it consistently.

Strengths

• Size
• Unique arm slot
• Elite fastball
• Fastball command

Burns is an intimidating presence on the mound standing at 6'4". He throws from a unique, 3/4 arm slot which gives his already elite fastball with some natural arm-side run. This on top of the upper 90's, touching triple digits velocity from Burns, makes his fastball an overpowering pitch. His slider tunnels well off the fastball with great depth and two-plane movement to his glove side.

Weaknesses

• Inconsistency
• Command of secondary pitches

Burns has a decent pitch mix with a slider and curveball which play well off his powerful fastball. However, the command of said pitches is sometimes unpredictable (mostly the curveball). On his good days, the curveball is placed at the bottom of the zone, and draws swings in the dirt, but too often, the curveball seems to be uncompetitive throughout his appearances, limiting the amount of reliable pitches he has at his disposal.

Chase Burns is one of the top pitching prospects in this draft class. With high velocity and spin rates, he shows his versatility by both blowing the fastball past hitters, and making them look silly by using the offspeed pitches to get swings and misses. His command of his curveball and changeup will likely be the first areas addressed by the team who drafts him, but he has potential to be selected in the top 10 of this year's draft.

Draft Nation Projection- 1st round pick ..top 10 pick