Michael Burgess Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2909
AVG	.24
OBP	.328
SLG	.431
HR	117

Full name Michael Lamar Burgess
Born 10/20/1988 in Tampa, FL
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Hillsborough
Drafted in the C-A round (49th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2007 (signed for $630,000).

View Draft Report

With huge raw power, inconsistent performance and the legacy of Hillsborough High (the alma mater of Gary Sheffield, Dwight Gooden and Elijah Dukes, among other big leaguers) as a backdrop, Burgess has become one of this draft's most debated prospects. He was a third-team All-American after batting .512 with 12 home runs as a junior, and the power translated with a wood bat last summer. Although his bat speed, strength and leveraged swing remain, Burgess' approach and set-up at the plate have puzzled scouts this spring, and he hasn't made consistent hard contact. He seems to lack focus, perhaps due in part to constant solicitation from hopeful advisers and receiving hitting lessons from former Georgia Tech star Ty Griffin and big leaguer Derek Bell. Late in the season, his timing was better and he showed glimpses of the 40-homer-hitting right fielder he could become. He's an average defender with a plus arm and below-average speed. Burgess could slip into the supplemental round, but the team that weighs his history over his senior year could pop him in the first round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

A supplemental first-round pick who was once regarded among the top prospects in the system, Burgess foundered in high Class A, spending most of the last three seasons there before finally getting a promotion last August. Burgess always has possessed provocative power, but his mighty hacks result in loads of strikeouts. The Nationals asked him to try to control his swing more and use more of the field in 2010. He made a bit of progress in that regard, but he still projects to be a below-average hitter at best. His raw power ranks second only to Bryce Harper's among Washington farmhands, but scouts wonder if he'll ever make enough contact to make his pop usable. At the end of 2009, the Nationals were concerned about where Burgess' stocky build was headed, but he dedicated himself to conditioning in the offseason. His efforts helped his mobility in right field, though he's still a below-average runner. He has a strong, accurate arm, and he loves to throw. Burgess plays the game hard, and at 22 years old, he still has time to make the necessary offensive adjustments. His power and arm give him a chance to be an everyday right fielder if he can improve his feel for hitting. He'll head back to Double-A to begin 2011.
Burgess comes from the same Hillsborough High (Tampa) program that spawned Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Elijah Dukes. He reached high Class A in his first full pro season in 2008 but struggled with the bat there last year. Burgess packs enormous strength into his thick, compact build, giving him plus-plus raw power. He has worked with a personal trainer to keep his weight in check, and he's very motivated to improve his game. His plus arm is very accurate, helping him lead the minors with 26 outfield assists in 2008. Fewer baserunners challenged him in 2009, but he still tied for fourth in the Carolina League with nine assists. He has become a solid overall defender in right field as well. Though the Nationals are encouraged that he's finally learning to shorten his swing and cut down his load, his progress hasn't been reflected in his numbers and he may never hit for average. He still chases a lot of breaking balls in the dirt, and his swing still has some length. He's a below-average runner. At the least, Burgess should have a chance to be a power bat off the bench. Whether he ever reaches his potential as a slugger depends upon the development of his bat, which is far from a sure thing. Still just 21, he'll get a crack at Double-A in 2010.
Burgess ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League after the Nationals drafted him in 2007 out of Tampa's Hillsborough High, the same school that produced Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Elijah Dukes. Washington challenged him in his first full pro season, starting him at low Class A Hagerstown, where he bashed 18 homers in four months and easily won the South Atlantic League home run derby with 16 longballs in 38 swings. After a late promotion to high Class A, his power display continued but his average dipped. Burgess' game is all about strength and aggression. His best tool is his well above-average raw power, which translates to excellent home run production in games, particularly to right field. He also is capable of driving the ball to the opposite field and got better doing so in 2008. His above-average arm helped him lead the minor leagues with 26 outfield assists, and he uses the long hop effectively. His routes in right field have improved, though he sometimes baits runners to take an extra base so he can show off his arm. Burgess generates huge bat speed partly by taking monstrous hacks, and his tendency to overswing leads to very high strikeout totals. He's starting to learn that he doesn't need to swing so hard to drive the ball, but he doesn't ever project to hit for a high average, despite good hand-eye coordination. He's an upright runner with below-average speed who's not particularly fluid in the field or on the basepaths. Assuming Burgess keeps his weight in check and tones down his aggressive approach a bit, he profiles as a power-hitting right fielder who could bat fourth or fifth in a big league lineup. He'll open 2009 back at Potomac and could crack the majors sometime in 2011.
Like Chris Marrero a year earlier, Burgess established himself as one of the draft's premier power hitters as a junior, batting .512 with 12 homers at Hillsborough High (the same Tampa school that produced Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and Elijah Dukes) and excelling with wood over the summer. Also like Marrero, he slumped as a senior. Inconsistent contact and a perceived lack of focus dropped him to the supplemental first round, but after signing for $630,000 he led the Gulf Coast League in on-base and slugging percentage and ranked as its No. 1 prospect. With a strong, compact frame, a short stroke and a lightning-quick bat, Burgess has well above-average raw power, mostly to right field. He has good plate discipline and isn't afraid to use the opposite field on occasion. He's an average defender in right field with a plus arm. Burgess channels controlled aggression into every at-bat, but he can fall into bad habits mechanically, lengthening his stroke and taking monster hacks. Sometimes he gets out of sync, getting his front foot down too early and then jerking his swing a bit. Though not a base-clogger, he's a below-average runner who'll need to watch his weight to stay in the outfield. In time, Burgess could be a 40-homer man in the big leagues. His next step is to make adjustments against more advanced pitching in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

After spending part of 2008 and all of 2009 with Potomac, Burgess returned to the Carolina League and made significant strides as a hitter. He finished the year in Double-A, where he hit a robust .284/.391/.649 in 21 games. Burgess continues to chase pitches outside the zone, but he has toned down his aggressiveness and is using the opposite field more. He has well above-average raw strength, and he's searching for a happy medium between power and patience. Though he's a below-average runner, he plays a quality right field and opponents know not to challenge his arm. "I've always liked him, his power and the way he plays the outfield," Myrtle Beach manager Rocket Wheeler said. "He has plus power, plus range, gets good reads on the ball and a plus arm."
A supplemental first-round pick in 2007, Burgess' power earned him acclaim as the top prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his debut. He continued to display his pop in the SAL, hitting 18 homers in four months and thrilling a packed house at the league's all-star game by going deep 16 times in 38 swings to easily win the home run derby. The Nationals challenged the 19-year-old Burgess by moving him faster than initially expected. He has responded by making the necessary adjustments while remaining aggressive at the plate. He's capable of driving the ball out of any park to all fields with his plus bat speed and excellent plate coverage, though he needs to fine-tune his two-strike approach after batting .249 and whiffing 136 times in 401 at-bats with Hagerstown. Burgess is a solid right fielder despite possessing below-average speed. He has a cannon for an arm and led the SAL with 26 outfield assists. "That's a kid with tremendous power and a plus, plus arm," Roadcap said. "He's stockier than a guy like Stanton or Heyward, but Burgess may have been the strongest player in the league."
Burgess entered the year as one of the top high school position prospects in the draft, but clubs debated his worth because of his inconsistent performance in the spring--not to mention the legacy of his alma mater at Tampa's Hillsborough High, which produced talented yet troubled big leaguers Elijah Dukes, Carl Everett, Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield. But Burgess, put it all together in his pro debut, leading the GCL in on-base percentage (.442) and slugging (.617). Burgess' bat speed, strength and leverage produce huge raw power, and he has enough maturity to keep his hands back to square up quality breaking balls. Burgess shows advanced plate discipline and pitch recognition, and his long arms allow him to cover any part of the strike zone. Though he didn't look as athletic as he did as an amateur, Burgess still displayed plus arm strength in right field. He's a slightly below-average runner and projects as a right fielder with classic tools. "He doesn't run real well, but when you hit it as far as he does it doesn't matter," said one scout from a National League club. "He was very aggressive in all phases of the game. He had something to prove. Pitchers really went after him and challenged him, and he just ate that up."