“It’s a privilege,” Burns said, gazing across the brilliantly green field. “What’s the saying? Pressure is a privilege.”
If you want the privilege of seeing Burns pitch in a Dragons uniform, the theory is don’t wait too long. Burns will start the Dragons opener Friday night at West Michigan. His first home start will be the following Friday night at Day Air Ballpark against Fort Wayne. As long as Burns pitches for High-A Dayton, he should be the Friday night starter.
Rhett Lowder, also a first-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2023, began last season in Dayton. He started five games for the Dragons before moving to AA Chattanooga. By the end of August he was with the Reds, made six starts and posted a 1.17 ERA.
The theory, then, is that Burns will also be in AA before the weather turns warm for good.
“It’s cool to dream like that, but also, as good as this guy is, as talented as he is, he’s going to make his pro debut,” Dragons manager Vince Harrison said. “We hope it goes well. I have no doubt that if he performs the way he can, it could be very similar, if not even quicker.”
The number that follows Burns around is 102. He hit that number in college in a relief appearance. He may well hit it again this season, but he’s happy to sit in 98-101 mph range. But his reputation as a pitcher – not just a thrower – is enhanced by his 90 mph slider.
Burns said he will throw plenty of fastballs into the 100s, but he calls the slider he’s thrown since he was 12 his bread and butter. The pitch breaks sharply downward.
“The goal is to make it look like a fastball and kind of make it drop off the table,” he said.
His catchers are impressed.
“It’s probably the best one I’ve ever seen,” Logan Tanner said. “And I’ve seen some pretty good ones.”
“100 percent,” Connor Burns interjected.
And Tanner continued: “Not many people can throw it 90 with the movement he’s got on it. It’s a crazy pitch, and I’m ready for everybody else to see it.”
The Friday night battery will be Burns and Burns.
“It’s very impressive when he’s sitting 100 and can do what he wants with the ball and has three other pitches that are just as good as his heater – that’s pretty special,” Connor Burns said. “I’m just happy to be on the receiving end of that guy throwing.”
Chase Burns doesn’t feel like he is getting a late pro start because he went to college.
He said he would have struggled as an 18-year-old minor-leaguer. He liked the routines and processes of college and how those years helped him become a man.
“God’s had that plan for me, and I’m here now because of him,” Burns said. “This talent that he’s given me, this drive – find him first, the rest comes easy.”
Burns also credits his dad, David Burns, for preparing him to be a professional ballplayer. David Burns, who is a former preacher, played college football at North Greenville in South Carolina.
“He was pretty much everything growing up,” Burns said. “He was my strength coach, my chef, my motivational speaker. He taught me about being competitive and all kinds of things. So I can’t thank him enough.”
Harrison, as a minor-league manager and sometimes father figure to players, has managed many top prospects like Burns. He tries to balance where they are in their career with the expectations that come with the top-prospect status.
“Fair or unfair, they exist,” he said. “I try to figure out how that person ticks and what they need to try to support them.”
Expectations are not new for Burns. Hard-throwing teenagers with a nasty slider gain a lot of attention.
“That’s just the way it goes,” Burns said. “Not too worried about it. I’m more worried about my process, about going through things, and the routine and the results will take care of itself.”
Burns the catcher knows what results to expect in the chilly early-season weather of the Midwest League: “I don’t think a lot of hitters are going to want to swing the bat against him.”
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