Chase

Burns

Burns hasn’t skipped a beat since being promoted to the Double-A level a couple weeks ago, allowing two runs on 10 hits with a 13/1 K/BB ratio across nine innings (two starts). The flame-throwing 22-year-old righty is quickly cementing his status as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and might wind up reaching the big leagues in the second half of the season at this rate.

Burns continued to dazzle in his Double-A debut after three dominant outings to open the year in the High-A Midwest League. The 22-year-old, who routinely hit triple digits in this latest outing, is quickly establishing himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball with a sparkling 2.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 25/6 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings (four starts). He’s put himself in the conversation for top-20 status from a dynasty perspective.

Burns earns a promotion to the upper minors after compiling a pristine 3.09 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 20/5 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (three starts) for High-A Dayton. The hard-throwing 22-year-old righty, who was the second-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has looked like one of the best pitching prospects in baseball during his professional debut. He’ll make his debut for Double-A Chattanooga this week and could reach the doorstep of the majors by midseason.

The final pitching line doesn’t seem that impressive, but it’s worth noting that Burns showed some serious moxie in his latest outing, reeling off three scoreless frames after coughing up three runs on a pair of first-inning homers. The hard-throwing 22-year-old is cementing his status as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball with a sublime 20/5 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (three starts) to open his professional debut.

With Jackson Jobe reaching the big leagues, in addition to both Andrew Painter and Bubba Chandler on the precipice of getting there, there’s an argument for Burns as the top pitching prospect left in the minors. The hard-throwing 22-year-old has looked unhittable in a pair of early-season starts at High-A, piling up 13 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings of work. He’s the real deal.

The second-overall pick from last year’s MLB Draft, Burns authored a sublime performance in his professional debut. The hard-throwing 22-year-old old boasts the strikeout upside required to ascend to upper-echelon fantasy status someday. He’s unlikely to reach the majors until 2026 which means he’s a strong candidate to finish the year as the top pitching prospect in the dynasty landscape.

Burns, who touched triple digits in his spring debut, was selected second overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and will make his professional debut this season, most likely at High-A Dayton. The 22-year-old phenom, who checked in as the 38th-ranked prospect (198th overall) in Rotoworld’s latest dynasty rankings update, figures to move quickly though Cincinnati’s system.

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis adds that Burns will receive a $9.25 million signing bonus as the second-overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, narrowly surpasses the record-setting $9.2 million figure current All-Star Paul Skenes received last year from the Pirates as the top-overall selection. The 21-year-old right-hander projects as an impact fantasy contributor in the near future as he boasts a triple-digit fastball and arguably the best slider in the entire draft class. It’s easy to envision him blossoming into an upper-echelon fantasy starter down the road given his impressive stuff. He’ll be worth monitoring closely over the next few months as he kicks off his professional career.

Burns was considered one of the top prep prospects in the 2021 draft but chose to go the college route, and after two solid seasons at Tennessee, he blossomed at Wake Forest in his junior campaign with a 2.70 ERA and a whopping 191 strikeouts over 100 2/3 innings in his 16 starts. His arsenal is impressive; starting with a fastball that can get up to 102 mph and quite often finishing with a wipeout slider that might be the best pitch of any player in the class. Between those two pitches is an above-average change and a quality curve, and while he’s not a control artist, he should throw enough strikes to be a starter. Burns has a nice combination of floor and ceiling, and it’s not hard to see him becoming a fantasy ace someday.