Chase Burns

Chase Burns was the Cincinnati Reds first round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Chase was the 17th ranked prospect in the nation coming out of high school, the number 5 ranked right handed pitcher and the number one prospect in the state of Tennessee.

Chase Burns was born in Naples, Italy on January 16, 2003. Chase’s parents were deployed in Italy during their time in the United States Navy. The Burns family would eventually find home in Gallatin, Tennessee once their deployment was completed.

In 2022, Chase Burns would make 17 appearances, 14 being starts. He would go 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA. He would strike out 103 and walk 25.

2023 would see Burns get less starts, he would have 18 appearances, but only 8 starts. As a result, his ERA would inflate a bit to 4.25. He would strike out more hitters in 7.2 fewer innings. Chase would have 114 strikeouts with 22 walks.

After the ‘23 season, Chase Burns would transfer to Wake Forest where he would make 13 starts and dominate the competition. He would set the school record for the most strikeouts in a season and lead Division 1 baseball with 191 punch outs . He would go 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Chase had many accolades in his lone season at Wake Forest. He was a Gold Spikes semi finalist, 2024 ACC Pitcher of the Year, Dick Howser Finalist, 1st Team All-American and First Team All ACC among many other accomplishments.

The Cincinnati Reds would select the 6’3 right handed pitcher Chase Burns with the number 2 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, much to the demise of social media and a minority of the fan base. At the time, the Reds were projected to take either Charlie Condon or Travis Bazzana, depending on who the Cleveland Guardians would select. Burns features a fastball that averages between 97-99 and has topped out at 102. He also features a slider, curveball and change up. Scouts rave over his ability to command his pitches. His fastball doesn’t have much movement at this time, so hitters can get hit harder than it could. His changeup has a lot of depth to it and runs in the high 80’s, but he rarely uses it.

Chase Burns debuted on the Top 100 MLB Pipeline prospects list at number 6 and is the Reds number 1 prospect. Chase has the potential to be a frontline starter in Major League Baseball for the Reds alongside Hunter Greene and number 2 ranked prospect Rhett Lowder. Drafting Burns makes perfect sense for the direction of this franchise. There’s many questions about the health of Nick Lodolo and Brandon Williamson. There’s concerns about the longevity of Andrew Abbott. After Hunter Greene, there really isn’t a bonafide starter longterm. With the offensive potential of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte and Tyler Stephenson, the Reds have the potential to be a legit contender for a playoff run in the near future. You could potentially see Chase Burns pitching for the Reds sometime around the 2026 season.

Photo Credit; MLB.com

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