Zack Burdi

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #18 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: In three seasons as Louisville’s closer, Burdi was dominant. He struck out 83 in 70 innings and racked up 20 saves over three seasons before the White Sox took him with their first-round pick in 2016. He signed for $2,128,500 then zoomed to Triple-A Charlotte and seemed to be on the cusp of the major leagues before he tore his ulnar collateral ligament in 2017 and had Tommy John surgery. The operation kept him out all of the 2018 regular season before he returned in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: Before the surgery, Burdi’s calling card was his hard fastball. The pitch sat in the upper 90s and touched triple digits with regularity. Paired with a slider that flashed plus, Burdi had the earmarks of a late-inning reliever. In the AFL, though, roughly 15 months after the surgery, his velocity ranged anywhere from 91-97 mph. He still showed an 82-86 mph slider that flashed plus, and an 85-88 mph changeup that projects as above-average. He has never pitched on back-to-back days in his pro career.
  
  The Future: Simply getting back on the mound was a good sign, and his ceiling can’t properly be assessed until it’s certain where his fastball is going to park, but a return to full health would give him a future in the back of a bullpen. He should head back to Triple-A in 2019.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #11 prospect in 2018
  Burdi was one of the country's most dominant closers at Louisville, racking up 83 strikeouts in 70 collegiate innings and recording 20 career saves. The White Sox drafted him 26th overall in 2016 and signed him for $2,128,500. Burdi spent all but 22 innings of his pro career at Triple-A Charlotte, but his 2017 ended at midseason after he had Tommy John surgery. His brother Nick, a reliever in the Twins system, also went down with Tommy John surgery during the year. When healthy, Burdi brings elite heat with a 98-102 mph fastball featuring with intense riding action borne of a high spin rate. He goes for strikeouts with his 86-89 mph slider, which can be inconsistent but projects as a plus pitch at its best. Burdi has a tendency to get quick in his delivery and get off line to home plate, leading to below-average command. Burdi's stuff is that of a long-time closer, but he's been used just once in his pro career in back-to-back games, and he got shellacked in the second outing. There's also a chance the White Sox could utilize him as multi-inning “relief ace.” Burdi is rehabbing from surgery and could return late in 2018.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #6 prospect in 2017
  Burdi comes from a family of exceptional arm strength. His oldest brother was a Division I quarterback, while his older brother Nick is a hard-throwing prospect in the Twins organization. Nick and Zack are thought to be the only pair of brothers to have thrown 100 mph. Burdi throws really, really hard. His top-of-the-scale fastball is mesmerizing, routinely checking in at 96-100 mph and touching 102. He throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot and works from the third-base side of the rubber, giving him elite deception and allowing him to generate late sinking action on his fastball and changeup, which flashes plus potential. Burdi's plus-plus slider has frisbee-like bend to it, with plus depth and excellent upper-80s velocity. He's still ironing out some inconsistencies in his delivery that lead to his front shoulder flying open. Burdi can leave his fastball up in the zone, and his slider can sometimes back up when he throws it to his arm side. Burdi could quickly contribute in the White Sox bullpen in 2017. He projects as a closer or setup man.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #21 prospect in 2016 draft
  Burdi is part of the first family to ever have two members of the century club. His older brother Nick, a reliever in the Twins organization and 2014 second-round pick, has touched 100 mph pretty regularly going back to his days at Louisville and now Zach has done the same. Burdi sits 97-99 and touches 100 regularly as the Cardinals' closer. Burdi pitches from an extremely closed setup. Working exclusively from the stretch he sets up on the far righthand side of the rubber with his front foot pointed back towards shortstop as he begins his delivery. Using a very modest leg lift, Burdi generates exceptional velocity because of a very fast arm. What separates Burdi from most college relievers is his three-pitch mix. Because his arm works well and he has a plus changeup as well as a less consistent but hard 85-89 mph slider that has flashed plus, there are scouts who believe that some team will take him early to see if he can start. But many scouts believe his future lies in the bullpen where his fringe-average control fits better.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Burdi has long teased with his potential, but injuries have derailed his progress. He made his big league debut in 2020 and reached the big leagues again in 2021. He's still averaging 97 mph with his fastball and shows flashes of an above-average slider, but he needs to work on staying within himself and not trying to overdo it on every pitch.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Burdi comes from a family of exceptional arm strength. His oldest brother was a Division I quarterback, while his older brother Nick is a hard-throwing prospect in the Twins organization. Nick and Zack are thought to be the only pair of brothers to have thrown 100 mph. Scouting Report: Burdi throws really, really hard. His top-of-the-scale fastball is mesmerizing, routinely checking in at 96-100 mph and touching 102. He throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot and works from the third-base side of the rubber, giving him elite deception and allowing him to generate late sinking action on his fastball and changeup, an offering that flashes plus potential. Burdi's plus-plus slider has frisbee-like bend to it, with plus depth and excellent upper-80s velocity. He's still ironing out some inconsistencies in his delivery. Burdi can leave his fastball up in the zone, and his slider can sometimes back up when he throws it to his arm side.
  
  The Future: Burdi could quickly earn a spot in the White Sox bullpen, with a chance to develop into a contributor in 2017. He projects as a closer or set-up man.