Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. Everything about Reds top prospect Chase Burns is fast: his stuff, his big league ascent, how quickly he can send hitters back to the dugout shaking their heads. That's why his Major League debut against the Yankees tonight (MLB.TV, 7:10 p.m. ET) should be appointment viewing.
It was less than a year ago the Reds selected Burns second overall behind Travis Bazzana in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, where the right-hander rocketed up Draft boards after leading the nation in strikeouts. And it only took 13 starts for Cincinnati to deem the 22-year-old big league ready. It's been 11 weeks since Burns made his April 4 professional debut, immediately establishing himself as one of the Minors' most dominant starters. In that short span he traversed three levels, amassed 89 strikeouts in 66 innings and held opponents to a .167/.211/.263 slash line. |
Burns was leading full-season Minor League pitchers in WHIP (0.77), and ranked fifth in ERA (1.77), sixth in strikeouts and tied for sixth in opponent average, prompting Cincinnati to summon him to buoy a rotation missing key pieces Hunter Greene and Rhett Lowder. The Reds, who've won 11 of their last 16 games, turn to Burns to try and build on that momentum. One thing's for sure: Burns will bring big stuff to his big league debut. Burns made a name for himself in college by reaching triple digits with ease. The 97.8 mph his fastball averaged, per Statcast, over his final two starts at Triple-A would rank second among qualified big league starters, behind only Paul Skenes. He also uses a wipeout slider and a developing changeup to generate whiffs in abundance. The slider earns high grades from scouts and is considered one of the best secondary pitches in any system. He produced an eye-popping 50% whiff rate with sliders tracked by Statcast in the Minors. It only took Burns a New York minute to reach the Majors, but remarkably, he's already the fifth first-round pick from the 2024 Draft to debut, joining A's first baseman Nick Kurtz, Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, Angels second baseman Christian Moore and Astros outfielder Cam Smith. Like the others, the likelihood is that he's here to stay. -- Joe Trezza |
- Phillies @ Astros (8:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): A reprisal of the 2022 World Series that Houston won in six games, these are two teams that have surged into first place in their divisions. They've done it with very different styles. The Phils have outscored their opponents 64-35 while winning nine of their past 11, and the Astros have MLB's best record in June (14-6) thanks to a 2.96 team ERA.
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THIS DODGERS PROSPECT WILL INSPIRE YOU |
If there's anyone who will attest to the fact that adversity can make you stronger, it's Dodgers prospect Patrick Copen.
Last Aug. 20, while pitching for High-A Great Lakes, Copen was taken off the field on a stretcher, his burgeoning pro career hanging very much in the balance after the 6-foot-6 flamethrower was struck in his right eye by a line drive back to the mound. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, doctors were unable to save his vision in that eye.
Remarkably, the 23-year-old right-hander is not only back on the mound, he's thriving -- thanks in no small part to the organization, which immediately assuaged any concerns he might have had about his career being over.
"It was a great thing to hear. The Dodgers have been nothing but amazing. I couldn't ask for a better organization or better group of people," said Copen.
"Once I was told that and I knew that I didn't really have to worry about if I would pitch again … that's when I started to go to work to make sure that I was able to pitch and be ready to pitch by Spring Training."
Using his time away from the mound to do a deep dive on his mechanics and pitch shaping in an effort to improve his command, Copen studied video of himself and worked with coaches on becoming as efficient and effective as possible with his delivery.
It's certainly paid off. Currently ranked as the Dodgers' No. 29 prospect (and expected to rise during MLB Pipeline's August re-rank), Copen combined his 99 mph fastball with improved command to post a 2.25 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 48 innings during 10 starts back at High-A Great Lakes before being promoted to Double-A Tulsa, with whom he made his fourth start. -- Ed Eagle |
3 FUN GOLD GLOVE PREDICTIONS FOR '25 |
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