Corbin Burnes

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #2 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Burnes began the season in the Triple-A Colorado Springs rotation but moved to relief with the Brewers wanting to see if he could help them during their second-half playoff push. He performed so well that he was quickly transitioned to high-leverage situations and pitched critical innings in the NL Championship Series. Despite that success, the plan is for Burnes to return to starting in 2019.
  
  Scouting Report: Burnes has the four-pitch repertoire of a starter and pounds the strike zone with all of those pitches, keeping hitters on the defensive. With a quick arm action, he throws his fastball in the 93-95 mph range with natural movement, doing a good job of keeping it down in the strike zone. He relied more on his above-average mid-80s slider in 2018, which was death on righthanded hitters when he put it where he wanted. Burnes mixes in an upper-80s split-changeup and upper-70s curveball, both average, that give opponents more pitches to process. He maintains his stuff deep into starts with plus control and can be a groundball machine when he keeps his fastball low in the zone. The Brewers love the way Burnes competes and shows great mound presence even under stress.
  
  The Future: Burnes will audition for the big league rotation in 2019. His confidence and conviction in his pitches is apparent, and the Brewers think he is a star in the making.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #3 prospect in 2018
  No prospect made a bigger leap in the organization in 2017 than Burnes, who ranked second in the minors with a 1.67 ERA while working at high Class A Carolina and Double-A Biloxi. His meteoric rise left Burnes closer to the big leagues than the Brewers envisioned when making him a fourth-round pick in 2016. Burnes pounds the strike zone with quality stuff and growing confidence. He modified his delivery in 2017 with the help of minor league pitching coordinator Rick Tomlin and Carolina pitching coach Dave Chavarria to square up to the plate and allow his lower half to drive forward. At Biloxi, he even switched to a traditional windup instead of a modified stretch. With quick arm action, Burnes throws a 92-95 mph fastball with natural cut. He has three secondary pitches--a 77-80 mph curveball, a mid-80s slider and a high-80s split changeup--none of which grade much above average, but he commands all three. His curveball is his best secondary offering, but his slider is effective as well. Burnes maintains his stuff deep into starts with above-average control and can also be a groundball machine. With an athletic, repeatable delivery and an aggressive demeanor, Burnes could help the Brewers in 2018 and has a No. 3 or 4 starter ceiling. His next test will be at hitter-friendly Triple-A Colorado Springs.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #24 prospect in 2017
  Burnes was not highly recruited and ended up at St. Mary's, where he prospered under head coach Eric Valenzuela, a mentor to such future major leaguers as Brian Matusz, A.J. Griffin and Sammy Solis. Burnes got better each year and picked up velocity on his fastball, which reached 97 mph in the Cape Cod League in 2015. He served as St. Mary's ace as a junior and the Brewers stayed on him until the 2016 draft and popped him in the fourth round. Burnes throws his fastball in the 91-93 mph range and touches 95 when he needs it. He still needs work on his secondary pitches but has a promising slider and also mixes in a curveball and changeup. Some worry that Burnes throws with maximum effort and that his arm action is too quick, which could land him in the bullpen at some point. But he has maintained his velocity deep into starts, and as long as he holds his mechanics together the Brewers believe he has a future as a starter. Burnes certainly has the frame to handle a solid workload. After three outings in the Rookie-level Arizona League he joined low Class A Wisconsin and held opponents to a .200 average with a 1.26 WHIP at that level. The Brewers think he will only get better with experience and move steadily through the system.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #57 prospect in 2016 draft
  A Bakersfield product, Burnes wasn't highly recruited and wound up at Saint Mary's, where he has thrived under the tutelage of head coach Eric Valenzuela, who mentored big leaguers such as Brian Matusz, A.J. Griffin and Sammy Solis in his time at San Diego. Burnes came to school armed with a solid fastball but has improved its velocity and his ability to command it after gaining confidence in the Cape Cod League last summer, when his heater reached 97 mph. Burnes typically sits 91-93 with life down in the zone, touching 95. He got off to a slow start this spring but started to hit his stride as he threw his curveball with more power, getting more swings and misses with it and avoiding high pitch counts that drove him out of games early. His secondary stuff, including his changeup, remains inconsistent, but he's shown the durability and has the solid 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame to handle a starter's workload.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #9 prospect in 2018
  Burnes teamed with Freddy Peralta to give Colorado Springs one of the best pitching duos in the PCL. He struggled with a 7.24 ERA at home at elevation but posted a 3.69 ERA with a strikeout rate of 10.5 per nine innings on the road. He was called up to Milwaukee on July 10, where he’s been a dominant fireman out of the Brewers’ bullpen. Burnes has big stuff with a fastball that averages 95 mph in relief and a swing-and-miss slider that overtook his curveball as his best secondary. His stuff plays in the strike zone and the Brewers have tasked him with getting it to play out of the zone, too—namely getting swings at pitches on the edges or off the plate. The Brewers still view Burnes as a starter and he has the stuff, control and durability for the rotation, but his changeup is a work in progress and his high-spin curveball has not played well in the majors. He’s already an integral part in one of baseball’s best bullpens and has that to fall back on if starting doesn’t pan out.
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #8 prospect in 2017
  Burnes dominated in his full-season debut by recording a 1.67 ERA at Carolina and Double-A Biloxi that ranked third-lowest in the minors. He doesn't pitch with particularly knockout stuff, but he commands slightly above-average stuff that features late movement. Burnes' fastball sits in the low 90s and can touch as high as 95 mph with natural cut. A shift in his delivery--from a modified stretch early in the season to a more traditional windup--helped him bump his velocity up a touch. He has a full complement of offspeed pitches--including a 77-80 mph curveball, a mid-80s slider and a high-80s split-changeup. Burnes' breaking balls are well ahead of his changeup at this point, with the slider the superior of the two offerings. Brewers officials are also particularly fond of how aggressive he is on the mound and compare him to system-mate Brandon Woodruff in that regard.
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  Ranked Southern League #8 prospect in 2017
  A rocky late-spring start against eventual College World Series-champion Coastal Carolina helped drop Burnes to the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He pitched like a first-rounder in his full-season debut, however, by ranking third in the minors with a 1.67 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He allowed three home runs in 26 starts. Burnes pitches with urgency and stands out for his athletic, repeatable delivery and ability to execute pitches in any count. He pitches at 93 mph and tops out near 95 with cutting action to both sides of the plate. He can consistently front-door righthanders with his cutter, which helps him stockpile awkward swings. His plus curveball plays to batters on both sides of the plate because of his command. Burnes didn't throw his changeup often, instead preferring to change speeds with his curve and mix in a fringe-average slider.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #46 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #74 prospect in 2018

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  In late June, the Brewers moved Burnes from the Sky Sox’s starting rotation to the bullpen, with a definite goal in mind: perhaps helping the big-league club in relief during the second half if needed. That’s how highly the decision makers consider his talent. At the time, Burnes was 3-4 with a 4.96 ERA, his numbers inflated by a 6.30 ERA at home in the tough pitching environment there. Burnes has worked on improving his changeup and putting away hitters with his slider and curveball, working the edges of the plate. The Brewers love the tenacity he takes to the mound in every start. He’s been promoted to the big league bullpen to try to help the playoff push.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: No prospect made a bigger leap in the organization in 2017 than Burnes, who ranked second in the minors with a 1.67 ERA while working at high Class A Carolina and Double-A Biloxi. His meteoric rise left Burnes closer to the big leagues than the Brewers envisioned when making him a fourth-round pick in 2016. Scouting Report: Burnes pounds the strike zone with quality stuff and growing confidence. He modified his delivery in 2017 by squaring up to the plate and allowing his lower half to drive toward the plate. At Biloxi, he even switched to a traditional windup instead of a modified stretch. With quick arm action, Burnes throws a 92-95 mph fastball with natural cut. He has three secondary pitches--a 77-80 mph curveball, a mid-80s slider and a high-80s split changeup--none of which grade much above-average, but he commands all three. His curve is his best secondary offering, but his slider is effective as well. Burnes maintains his stuff deep into starts with above-average control. The Future: With an athletic, repeatable delivery and an aggressive demeanor, Burnes could help the Brewers in 2018 and has a No. 3 or 4 starter ceiling. His first test will be at hitter-friendly Triple-A Colorado Springs.