Beau Burrows Stats & Scouting Report

IP	13.1
ERA	8.1
WHIP	2.48
BB/9	12.15
SO/9	7.43

Full name Beau Van Burrows
Born 09/18/1996 in Fort Worth, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Weatherford
Debut 07/27/2020
Drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2015 (signed for $2,154,200).

View Draft Report

Burrows' combination of excellent fastball velocity--consistently 93-95 mph last summer and he's touched 97-98 this spring--and potential for a pair of solid secondary offerings makes him one of the more intriguing high school pitchers in this class. Scouts have seen him light up radar guns with a plus fastball ever since the summer after his sophomore season. A product of the Texas Baseball Ranch's training program under the tutelage of pitching coach Flint Wallace, Burrows has demonstrated an excellent ability to self-diagnose and continually improve his delivery and his approach over the past few years. And he's extremely competitive. Scouts harbor concerns about his size--most evaluators believe he's 6-foot, not 6-foot-2 as he's often been listed, although scouts like his broad shoulders. Some scouts have also worried about his delivery, which has cleaned up but still involves an extreme amount of tilt as he reaches his release point. He's worked through a blister problem this spring. Burrows can rip off a plus 80 mph curveball, and his changeup has quickly gone from a distant third pitch to become a very useable weapon against lefthanders that flashes plus at its best with some late tumble. Scouts who don't like short righthanders will see him as a power reliever, but teams who have seen Sonny Gray's success may be intrigued by his polished assortment. He's committed to Texas A&M.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: The Tigers drafted the touted Burrows 22nd overall in the 2015 draft and pushed him aggressively, highlighted by an assignment to Double-A as a 20-year-old. Burrows struggled with injuries and inconsistency once he got to the upper levels and posted a 5.51 ERA at Triple-A in 2019, but the Tigers still brought him up to the majors in 2020. He made five relief appearances and allowed four runs in 6.2 innings.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows' fastball sits comfortably at 92-95 mph and touches a few ticks higher. His curveball was much more successful prior to Triple-A, but under the right guidance it could still land as a fringe-average offering. There have been improvements to Burrows' changeup but it still lacks consistency. Burrows hasn't leaned on his slider much in recent years. Instead, he's tried to learn a cutter, but it has a ways to go as well. While the consistency of his four-pitch mix fluctuates, Burrows has enough confidence in his pitches to mix them fairly evenly.

THE FUTURE: Without a true out pitch, it's hard to project Burrows as much more than a low-leverage reliever. Simply improving any of his offspeeds would raise his ceiling slightly.
TRACK RECORD: The 22nd overall pick in 2015, Burrows quickly made it to Double-A Erie but needed three years to advance to Triple-A. Burrows dealt with biceps tendonitis and shoulder inflammation in April that put him on the shelf for nearly two months, returned in June but went back on the injured list in August for a season-ending oblique injury.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows works with a four-pitch mix including a fastball that tops out at 96 mph. It can be straight at times, but it gets swings and misses at its best. Burrows doesn't have great control in part due to a high-front side in his delivery, which makes consistency tough to come by. He throws two breaking pitches, including a curveball in the low-70s that projects as above-average. His slider isn't particularly effective, but his changeup shows flashes of being above-average to give him a useful third pitch.

THE FUTURE: The Tigers added Burrows to the 40-man roster in the offseason. Without a true out pitch, Burrows is best suited as an occasional starter or bullpen arm, where his fastball should play up in short stints.
Track Record: Of the seven prep pitchers drafted in the first round in 2015, two didn’t pitch in 2018, a third threw less than 10 innings and a fourth posted a 5.24 ERA in Class A. The durable Burrows has been more of a success story than his peers, as he quickly climbed to Double-A in his second season in pro ball.

Scouting Report: Everything for Burrows is based off of an effective 92-94 mph fastball that can touch as high as 97. The pitch is more effective when thrown up in the zone for swinging strikes. He backs the pitch up with a pair of breaking balls, which work well in tandem, though neither is a plus pitch on its own. Burrows had more success throwing his low-70s curveball for called strikes, and he has shown the ability bury his mid-80s slider. His fringe-average changeup could develop into an above-average pitch if he could command it better. His delivery, which includes a very high front elbow and works as somewhat of a see-saw, might hinder attempts to improve his fringe-average control.

The Future: Burrows should begin 2019 in Triple-A. The Tigers will try to develop him into a No. 4 starter, but his command issues and secondaries may eventually push him to the bullpen.
Burrows blitzed through the Florida State League, leaving plenty of helpless hitters in his wake as he earned a spot in the Futures Game, where he struck out a pair of hitters in a clean inning. Double-A hitters proved tougher, as Burrows' less-developed secondary offerings allowed hitters to look for his fastball. Burrows has a better fastball than any of the Tigers' other top starting pitching prospects. He can blow hitters away with consistent 94-95 mph fastballs--he touched 98 in the Futures Game. Burrows has a high spin rate that makes it appear that his heater has a late hop, generating swings and misses. But if he's going to avoid eventually being moved to the bullpen, he'll need to improve his trio of below-average offspeed pitches. His below-average slider and curveball both are not consistent enough and they sometimes blend together, leading to the question of whether he'd be better off focusing on one or the other. His curve is a little ahead of his slider. It's loopy but it has 12-to-6 break. His changeup is further away and needs more separation and deception. If Burrows were 25 years old, it would be time to move him to the pen and let him rely heavily on his excellent fastball. But he'll pitch the 2018 season as a 21-year-old, so there's plenty of time to let him continue to work on improving his offspeed pitches in Double-A Erie.
Drafted out of the same high school as Orioles all-star closer Zach Britton, Burrows was the 22nd overall pick in 2015. The Tigers signed him for $2,154,200. He got his feet wet in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2015 and ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the league. He spent all year at low Class A West Michigan in 2016, skipping starts to control his workload. Burrows starts his arsenal with a fastball in the 90-93 mph range that peaks at 94. His heater hit 98 mph as an amateur in short bursts. The pitch has good riding life through the zone, but the Tigers would like Burrows to continue to refine his command. Specifically, they'd like him to focus on getting the ball down more often. His primary offspeed pitch is a 12-to-6 curveball with tight spin that could be a consistently above-average pitch with repetition. He's developing his changeup and already shows conviction and the ability throw it from the same arm slot as the rest of his arsenal. He has a slider as well and used his time at instructional league to refine the pitch to the point that it doesn't blend in with his curveball. Burrows will likely spend 2017 at high Class A Lakeland as a 20-year-old. Improved fastball command would help him fulfill his ceiling as a top-end starter.
Burrows put himself on the scouting radar at a young age, showing a plus fastball as a high school sophomore. The Tigers drafted him in 2015 at No. 22 overall and signed him for $2,154,200. He pitched effectively in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, though the Tigers kept him on a tight leash as he never threw more than three innings in a start. Burrows is generously listed at 6-foot-2, but he packs electric stuff into his compact build and is a solid strike-thrower. His best pitch is his fastball, which sits at 93-95 mph and can climb to 98. He can miss bats with his power curveball, which is still inconsistent but flashes plus and is a pitch he's able to throw for strikes. Burrows didn't need a changeup in high school, but when he did throw the pitch, it made quick progress and showed good sink, giving him a chance to have a third average to above-average pitch. While Burrows is generally around the plate, his delivery with an extreme amount of tilt is a concern for some scouts, as is his size. Others believe he will have plenty of durability and can develop into a frontline starter. The highest-ceiling pitching prospect in the organization, Burrows is still several years away from contributing at the major league level. He will start his first full season in low Class A West Michigan.

Draft Prospects

Burrows' combination of excellent fastball velocity--consistently 93-95 mph last summer and he's touched 97-98 this spring--and potential for a pair of solid secondary offerings makes him one of the more intriguing high school pitchers in this class. Scouts have seen him light up radar guns with a plus fastball ever since the summer after his sophomore season. A product of the Texas Baseball Ranch's training program under the tutelage of pitching coach Flint Wallace, Burrows has demonstrated an excellent ability to self-diagnose and continually improve his delivery and his approach over the past few years. And he's extremely competitive. Scouts harbor concerns about his size--most evaluators believe he's 6-foot, not 6-foot-2 as he's often been listed, although scouts like his broad shoulders. Some scouts have also worried about his delivery, which has cleaned up but still involves an extreme amount of tilt as he reaches his release point. He's worked through a blister problem this spring. Burrows can rip off a plus 80 mph curveball, and his changeup has quickly gone from a distant third pitch to become a very useable weapon against lefthanders that flashes plus at its best with some late tumble. Scouts who don't like short righthanders will see him as a power reliever, but teams who have seen Sonny Gray's success may be intrigued by his polished assortment. He's committed to Texas A&M.

Minor League Top Prospects

Burrows has some of the most electric stuff in the organization—his 127 strikeouts were fourth-most among Tigers prospects—now he needs to sharpen his command. He’s done an excellent job of keeping his high-spin, mid-90s fastball up in the zone for swings and misses, but now he needs to become more consistent locating the pitch down in the zone. Both of his breaking balls have a chance to become above-average pitches, too, but neither is consistent enough to earn that billing at this point and his quest to refine them has been a never-ending search for him. Burrows does a good job of landing his curveball for strikes and gets plenty of chases with his slider, but the curveball is largely a get-over pitch right now while he struggles to throw the slider for strikes. Part of harnessing his command involves mastering the timing in his unorthodox delivery, which features a high left elbow. Once he becomes more consistent at timing when he removes the ball from his glove during his delivery, better command will follow. If everything clicks he has the ceiling of a solid No. 4 starter.
In a system now brimming with power arms, including 2017 first-rounder Alex Faedo and August trade pickup Franklin Perez, Burrows stands as one of the best. In his second full season, he made it to the EL, where he was one of the youngest arms on the circuit. Burrows' fastball sits in the low 90s and peaks in the high 90s in short bursts. What makes the fastball so effective is its excellent late finish, which one scout likened a rising fastball. He's also adept at using his fastball both above and below the batter's hands depending on the situation. Burrows added a slider to his 12-to-6 curveball, but both pitches need to be sharpened, as does his changeup. His athleticism bodes well for his ability to refine his offspeed pitches.
The 22nd overall pick in 2015, Burrows finished the year in Double-A after dominating FSL competition. He didn't fare as well at that level but still made healthy progress in his age-20 season, striking out 137 in 135 innings overall. In the FSL, Burrows worked over hitters with a fastball that grades out as a plus-plus pitch at its best. He's able to pitch both up and down in the strike zone with it thanks to its late life, as well as inside, tying up hitters' hands. One scouts said Burrows got more swings and misses with his fastball than any pitcher he saw in the league, and he allowed no earned runs in five of his 11 FSL starts. Burrows' secondary pitches were exposed a bit at Double-A, however. He throws both a slider and curveball as well as a changeup, but none is an average pitch at present. His curve has shown the most promise but needs more consistency. If one of his secondary pitches doesn't progress to at least average, he may wind up in the bullpen.
For a pitcher still in his teens, Burrows displayed solid poise and presence in his full-season debut. He averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in limited action last year in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, but that rate dropped to 6.2 per nine this season, which the Tigers chalked up to facing more advanced hitters. Burrows' fastball sits in the low to mid-90s, but he showed he has shown he is not a one-pitch pitcher. His power curveball flashes above-average potential but was inconsistent, especially in the cold climes of the MWL. He shows feel for his changeup, but that pitch is just developing. Burrows has an athletic delivery that helps him repeat his mechanics and release point, but he needs more reps for that to become muscle memory. The Tigers carefully monitored his pitch count, which is not an uncommon practice for a pitcher his age.
Generously listed at 6-foot-2, Burrows packs electric stuff into a compact frame that prompted the Tigers to draft him with the 22nd overall pick and sign him for $2,154,200. The Tigers never let Burrows throw more than three innings in a start, something opposing hitters surely didn't mind after taking plenty of late and empty swings. Burrows is a solid strike-thrower with a power fastball who operates at 93-95 mph (he reached as high as 98 this spring) and holds his velocity. His power curveball was inconsistent but flashes plus. He can throw it for strikes and use it as putaway pitch to rack up strikeouts. His changeup made rapid progress this spring with late drop, giving him a third potential above-average offering. Burrows has the stuff to be a front-end starter, though his stature and delivery, which features an extreme amount of tilt, worries some scouts. Others think he will hold up and has frontline starter potential.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Fastball in the Detroit Tigers in 2018

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: The Tigers drafted the touted Burrows 22nd overall in the 2015 draft and pushed him aggressively, highlighted by an assignment to Double-A as a 20-year-old. Burrows struggled with injuries and inconsistency once he got to the upper levels and posted a 5.51 ERA at Triple-A in 2019, but the Tigers still brought him up to the majors in 2020. He made five relief appearances and allowed four runs in 6.2 innings.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows' fastball sits comfortably at 92-95 mph and touches a few ticks higher. His curveball was much more successful prior to Triple-A, but under the right guidance it could still land as a fringe-average offering. There have been improvements to Burrows' changeup but it still lacks consistency. Burrows hasn't leaned on his slider much in recent years. Instead, he's tried to learn a cutter, but it has a ways to go as well. While the consistency of his four-pitch mix fluctuates, Burrows has enough confidence in his pitches to mix them fairly evenly.

THE FUTURE: Without a true out pitch, it's hard to project Burrows as much more than a low-leverage reliever. Simply improving any of his offspeeds would raise his ceiling slightly.
TRACK RECORD: The Tigers drafted the touted Burrows 22nd overall in the 2015 draft and pushed him aggressively, highlighted by an assignment to Double-A as a 20-year-old. Burrows struggled with injuries and inconsistency once he got to the upper levels and posted a 5.51 ERA at Triple-A in 2019, but the Tigers still brought him up to the majors in 2020. He made five relief appearances and allowed four runs in 6.2 innings.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows' fastball sits comfortably at 92-95 mph and touches a few ticks higher. His curveball was much more successful prior to Triple-A, but under the right guidance it could still land as a fringe-average offering. There have been improvements to Burrows' changeup but it still lacks consistency. Burrows hasn't leaned on his slider much in recent years. Instead, he's tried to learn a cutter, but it has a ways to go as well. While the consistency of his four-pitch mix fluctuates, Burrows has enough confidence in his pitches to mix them fairly evenly.

THE FUTURE: Without a true out pitch, it's hard to project Burrows as much more than a low-leverage reliever. Simply improving any of his offspeeds would raise his ceiling slightly.
TRACK RECORD: The 22nd overall pick in 2015, Burrows quickly made it to Double-A Erie but needed three years to advance to Triple-A. Burrows dealt with biceps tendonitis and shoulder inflammation in April that put him on the shelf for nearly two months, returned in June but went back on the injured list in August for a season-ending oblique injury.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows works with a four-pitch mix including a fastball that tops out at 96 mph. It can be straight at times, but it gets swings and misses at its best. Burrows doesn’t have great control in part due to a high-front side in his delivery, which makes consistency tough to come by. He throws two breaking pitches, including a curveball in the low-70s that projects as above-average. His slider isn’t particularly effective, but his changeup shows flashes of being above-average to give him a useful third pitch.

THE FUTURE: The Tigers added Burrows to the 40-man roster in the offseason. Without a true out pitch, Burrows is best suited as an occasional starter or bullpen arm, where his fastball should play up in short stints.
TRACK RECORD: The 22nd overall pick in 2015, Burrows quickly made it to Double-A Erie but needed three years to advance to Triple-A. Burrows dealt with biceps tendonitis and shoulder inflammation in April that put him on the shelf for nearly two months, returned in June but went back on the injured list in August for a season-ending oblique injury.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burrows works with a four-pitch mix including a fastball that tops out at 96 mph. It can be straight at times, but it gets swings and misses at its best. Burrows doesn't have great control in part due to a high-front side in his delivery, which makes consistency tough to come by. He throws two breaking pitches, including a curveball in the low-70s that projects as above-average. His slider isn't particularly effective, but his changeup shows flashes of being above-average to give him a useful third pitch.

THE FUTURE: The Tigers added Burrows to the 40-man roster in the offseason. Without a true out pitch, Burrows is best suited as an occasional starter or bullpen arm, where his fastball should play up in short stints.
Burrows has one of the better fastballs in the minors as much for its late rise and spin rate as its 92-94 mph velocity–he’s touched 97 in shorter stints. But four years after he was drafted, his secondary offerings have yet to take a big step forward, as he continues to lack one above-average offspeed pitch. Burrows most likely will end up as an excellent power reliever, but he also could end up as a useful No. 4 starter.
Track Record: After being taken 22nd overall out of high school in 2015, Burrows blitzed through the high Class A Florida State League in 2017, leaving plenty of helpless hitters in his wake. He earned a spot in the Futures Game, where he struck out a pair of hitters in a clean inning. Burrows' less-developed secondary offerings allowed Double-A hitters to look for his fastball. Scouting Report: Burrows has a better fastball than any of the Tigers' other top starting pitching prospects. He can blow hitters away with consistent 94-95 mph heat. Burrows throws a high-spin fastball that has late hop and generates swings and misses. But if he's going to avoid eventually being moved to the bullpen, he'll need to improve his trio of below-average offspeed pitches. Neither his slider nor curveball are consistent enough, and they sometimes blend together, suggesting he should focus on one or the other. His loopy curve is a little ahead of his slider, showing 12-to-6 break. His changeup needs more separation and deception. The Future: Burrows will be just 21 in 2018, so he has plenty of time to work on his offspeed pitches at Double-A Erie.
Background: Drafted out of the same high school as Orioles all-star closer Zach Britton, Burrows was the 22nd overall pick in 2015. The Tigers signed him for $2,154,200. He got his feet wet in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2015 and ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the league. He spent all year at low Class A West Michigan in 2016, skipping starts to control his workload. Scouting Report: Burrows starts his arsenal with a fastball in the 90-93 mph range that peaks at 94. His heater hit 98 mph as an amateur in short bursts. The pitch has good riding life through the zone, but the Tigers would like Burrows to continue to refine his command. Specifically, they'd like him to focus on getting the ball down more often. His primary offspeed pitch is a 12-to-6 curveball with tight spin that could be a consistently above-average pitch with repetition. He's developing his changeup and already shows conviction and the ability throw it from the same arm slot as the rest of his arsenal. He has a slider as well and used his time at instructional league to refine the pitch to the point that it doesn't blend in with his curveball.

The Future: Burrows will likely spend 2017 at high Class A Lakeland as a 20-year-old. Improved fastball command would help him fulfill his ceiling as a top-end starter.