Sean Burke

Burke was a talented basketball player in high school and a projection pitching prospect thanks to a lean 6-foot-5 frame and an exciting fastball/curveball combination. He’s filled out that frame over three years with Maryland and is now listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, though he did miss the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery. Burke worked an excellent 22.2 innings in the shortened 2020 season, striking out 35 batters and walking 11 while posting a 1.99 ERA. Burke is an impressive athlete for his size and this spring continued to show off the fastball/curveball combination that had scouts excited back in high school. Early this spring, Burke was sitting around 92-93 mph but that dipped over the course of the season. At his best, he’s run his fastball up to 97-98. The pitch reportedly has impressive spin characteristics up in the zone, which makes pairing it with a mid-70s downer curveball a good combination. The curveball has been Burke’s best swing-and-miss pitch this season and works best as a chase pitch as well. Burke also throws a slider in the low 80s, which scouts have said has improved this spring to the point where it’s his most frequently thrown offspeed pitch. Burke also throws a low-80s changeup that’s mostly straight, but the usage is minimal. Despite a low-effort delivery and athleticism, Burke’s strikes have been scattered and inconsistent, with a career walk rate close to 5.0 per nine innings.