Jake Burger

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #7 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Burger’s ascent to the majors in 2021 capped a remarkable comeback story. After being selected 11th overall in 2017, Burger missed all of 2018 and 2019 after twice rupturing his Achilles tendon and suffering a setback with a bruised heel. He briefly played in an independent league during the 2020 coronavirus shutdown before the White Sox added him to their alternate training site. Despite not having played an official game in nearly four years, Burger opened 2021 at Triple-A Charlotte and hit well enough to earn his first big league callup in early July, appearing in 15 games for the White Sox.
  
  Scouting Report: Formerly a thick, burly masher, Burger has slimmed down since the early part of his career. He remains a dangerous hitter with a quick swing, plus raw power and the ability to drive balls from gap-to-gap with a solid approach. He struggled with strikeouts in his brief major league debut, but on the whole he keeps his strikeouts reasonable for a power hitter. Burger’s improved fitness has primarily helped him in the field. His previously well below-average speed ticked up and he showed increased lateral agility at third base. He is able to make throws on the run from different angles and has an above-average arm.
  
  The Future: Burger profiles best as a righthanded power hitter who bounces between third and first base. If he continues to stay healthy as he did in 2021, he may be able to hit his way into an everyday role.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #19 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox were extremely high on Burger's combination of skills and makeup when they drafted him, and the latter has come into play over the last couple of years as he's dealt with a twice-ruptured left Achilles tendon and a bruised heel that cost him all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, Burger played for a bit in a semi-pro league in the midwest before heading to Chicago's alternate training site and instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: It has been a long road back for Burger, who worked at instructs on adjusting his posture to the point where he could better control his barrel on pitches up in the zone. Scouts at instructs also saw a small hitch in his swing that caused him to hit off his front foot at times. Despite that, they liked his bat speed, all-fields power and projected him to hit 20-plus homers if he reaches his peak. Defensively, the injuries have taken their toll, but not as much as would be expected. He is OK moving laterally, has some trouble coming in on balls, and shows above-average arm strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite the two injuries, the White Sox still believed enough in Burger's future to add him to the 40-man roster over the winter. Given the time he's lost, Burger will likely need to start at least at high Class A.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #23 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: After three thunderous years at Missouri State, which included a cumulative 47 home runs and a 1.040 OPS, the White Sox drafted Burger with their first-round pick and let him get his feet wet at low Class A Kannapolis for the bulk of his pro debut. He’s torn his left Achilles tendon twice since then; once in February 2018 and then again in May while rehabbing the original injury.
  
  Scouting Report: Before the injuries, scouts were counting on Burger to be a solid-average hitter with plenty of potential for power production. That aspect of his game will likely remain the same once he returns. The bigger question will revolve around where Burger fits on a diamond. Even before he got hurt there were concerns about whether his size and mobility would allow him to stick at third base. The White Sox pointed to his exemplary makeup as reason to believe he’d get his body in the necessary shape to stay at third. With two major surgeries since then, the questions are only going to get louder.
  
  The Future: Achilles repair typically takes about a year, meaning the earliest Burger would get back on the field would be at midseason 2019.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #7 prospect in 2018
  Burger raked for three years at Missouri State and emerged as the top power prospect in the 2017 draft. He swatted 47 home runs his sophomore and junior seasons and while never batting below .328, earned a spot on the US Collegiate National Team and was First Team All-America as a junior. The White Sox jumped on Burger with the 11th overall pick and signed him for $3.7 million. Burger's power is prodigious, and his leadership-oriented makeup is legendary, but scouts have concerns about his body. At 6-foot-2 and a thick, bottom-heavy 210 pounds, Burger stayed in Arizona over the winter to have access to the White Sox's complex and work on his conditioning. Scouts see a solid-average hitter with above-average power potential, and the plate discipline to get to it in games as a pro. Burger's body opens the door for questions about his defense, but he's worked hard to improve his footwork and range to stay at third base. He has more than enough arm strength to stay at the position and the power to profile there long-term. He's a well below-average runner. Burger will head to high Class A Winston-Salem in 2018, where he'll get to show off his power in the hitter-friendly confines of BB&T Ballpark.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #20 prospect in 2017 draft
  Much like Wake Forest third baseman Will Craig in 2016, Burger is the bad-bodied but big hitting third baseman whose track record of excellent offensive production will be hard for teams to ignore if they are looking for the safety of picking a college hitter. Burger's power is some of the best in this draft class. He's a fastball hitter with above-average bat speed who can catch up to premium velocity, but he's also aware enough of the strike zone and has the pitch recognition to lay off tough off-speed offerings to put himself in fastball counts. Much like Todd Frazier, his swing includes an arm bar, but he's been strong enough to make it work. In pro ball, his swing means he'll likely sacrifice batting average for power. As of mid-May, he had 19 home runs, meaning he's likely to reach 20 home runs for the second straight season and he does it while hitting for average (.344 career batting average) and while walking more than he's struck out this season. Whether Burger can stick at third base will depend on how much work the team that drafts him is willing to do. His feet work relatively well and his arm is average and accurate, but he lacks a quick first step and is limited in his range.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #16 prospect in 2017
  Burger doesn't really pass the eye test. At first glance he doesn't look like he's athletic enough to stick at third base. But the more coaches and scouts watched him, the more impressed they became. He's faster than he looks (he turned in average run times to first base) and he made all the plays at third base, with plenty of arm strength for the position. Burger has some stiffness, but he's strong and muscular and he has legitimate plus power. His power comes from a combination of strength and bat speed. He looks to pull anything on the inner half right now, but he'll have to adjust to show he can do something when pitchers nibble on the outer half.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Burger’s ascent to the majors in 2021 capped a remarkable comeback story. After being selected 11th overall in 2017, Burger missed all of 2018 and 2019 after twice rupturing his Achilles tendon and suffering a setback with a bruised heel. He briefly played in an independent league during the 2020 coronavirus shutdown before the White Sox added him to their alternate training site. Despite not having played an official game in nearly four years, Burger opened 2021 at Triple-A Charlotte and hit well enough to earn his first big league callup in early July, appearing in 15 games for the White Sox.
  
  Scouting Report: Formerly a thick, burly masher, Burger has slimmed down since the early part of his career. He remains a dangerous hitter with a quick swing, plus raw power and the ability to drive balls from gap-to-gap with a solid approach. He struggled with strikeouts in his brief major league debut, but on the whole he keeps his strikeouts reasonable for a power hitter. Burger’s improved fitness has primarily helped him in the field. His previously well below-average speed ticked up and he showed increased lateral agility at third base. He is able to make throws on the run from different angles and has an above-average arm.
  
  The Future: Burger profiles best as a righthanded power hitter who bounces between third and first base. If he continues to stay healthy as he did in 2021, he may be able to hit his way into an everyday role.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  When the White Sox drafted Burger in the first round in 2017, team officials raved about his makeup. He needed every bit of it to overcome a pair of torn Achilles tendons that cost him the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He got back on the field in indy ball after the minor league season was canceled in 2020, then impressed the team enough to earn a spot at Triple-A to open 2021. He was among the team's best hitters in the early going, then earned a trip to Chicago for his major league debut. He's likely a backup infielder who can provide offense in a pinch at either infield corner.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox were extremely high on Burger's combination of skills and makeup when they drafted him, and the latter has come into play over the last couple of years as he's dealt with a twice-ruptured left Achilles tendon and a bruised heel that cost him all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, Burger played for a bit in a semi-pro league in the midwest before heading to Chicago's alternate training site and instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: It has been a long road back for Burger, who worked at instructs on adjusting his posture to the point where he could better control his barrel on pitches up in the zone. Scouts at instructs also saw a small hitch in his swing that caused him to hit off his front foot at times. Despite that, they liked his bat speed, all-fields power and projected him to hit 20-plus homers if he reaches his peak. Defensively, the injuries have taken their toll, but not as much as would be expected. He is OK moving laterally, has some trouble coming in on balls, and shows above-average arm strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite the two injuries, the White Sox still believed enough in Burger's future to add him to the 40-man roster over the winter. Given the time he's lost, Burger will likely need to start at least at high Class A.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The White Sox were extremely high on Burger's combination of skills and makeup when they drafted him, and the latter has come into play over the last couple of years as he's dealt with a twice-ruptured left Achilles tendon and a bruised heel that cost him all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, Burger played for a bit in a semi-pro league in the midwest before heading to Chicago's alternate training site and instructional league.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: It has been a long road back for Burger, who worked at instructs on adjusting his posture to the point where he could better control his barrel on pitches up in the zone. Scouts at instructs also saw a small hitch in his swing that caused him to hit off his front foot at times. Despite that, they liked his bat speed, all-fields power and projected him to hit 20-plus homers if he reaches his peak. Defensively, the injuries have taken their toll, but not as much as would be expected. He is OK moving laterally, has some trouble coming in on balls, and shows above-average arm strength.
  
  THE FUTURE: Despite the two injuries, the White Sox still believed enough in Burger's future to add him to the 40-man roster over the winter. Given the time he's lost, Burger will likely need to start at least at high Class A.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Burger raked for three years at Missouri State and emerged as the top power prospect in the 2017 draft. He swatted 47 home runs his sophomore and junior seasons and earned a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and was first-team All-America as junior. The White Sox jumped on Burger with the 11th overall pick and signed him for $3.7 million. Scouting Report: Burger's power is prodigious, and his leadership-oriented makeup is legendary, but scouts have concerns about his body. At 6-foot-2 and a thick, bottom-heavy 210 pounds, he stayed in Arizona over the winter to work on his conditioning. Scouts see a solid-average hitter with above-average power potential, and the plate discipline to get to it in games as a pro. Burger's body opens the door for questions about his defense, but he has worked hard to improve his footwork and range to stay at third base. He has more than enough arm to stay at the position and the power to profile there. He's a well below-average runner. The Future: Burger will head to high Class A Winston-Salem in 2018, where he'll get to show off his power in the hitter-friendly confines of BB&T Ballpark.