Detroit Tigers Prospect Report: Beau Burrows

The Detroit Tigers have lots of new faces thanks to a variety of trades. “Future Friday” is a new segment where we examine the newest prospects in Detroit and their future impact in the Motor City.

The Detroit Tigers sold off a lot of veteran talent over the past year in exchange for prospects.

While it can be hard for fans to see all-stars like J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton and Alex Avila dealt, not to mention franchise icon Justin Verlander, the return can be an exciting batch of prospects who will become the next stars in Detroit.

‘Future Fridays,’ is a new weekly column where we pick a prospect and delve into their expected impact on the team. With so many new faces, we want to help Tigers fans identify the newest wave of Tigers players as they move into rebuilding mode.

Last week, after writing about young shortstop Isaac Paredes, we asked our twitter followers who they wanted to hear about next.

The fans have spoken. Today’s Future Friday post will focus on Detroit’s 2015 first round pick, right-hander Beau Burrows.

Beau Borrows: Detroit’s next ace?

It is hard to believe that Burrows is only 21 years old. He has been a part of the Tigers system since June of 2015, when he was drafted 22nd overall out of High School in Texas.

Burrows threw 28 dominant innings in rookie ball after getting drafted. That earned him a spot in Class-A to start the 2016 season.

He spent the entire season at that level, making 20 starts and pitching 97 innings. He had a nice 3.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, but only posted a 6.22 K/9.

Burrows found his strikeout groove last season, striking out 137 hitters in 132 innings between High-A and Double-A.

He made 11 starts at High-A and 15 starts at Double-A.

Burrows dominated High-A, pitching to a 1.23 ERA and posting a 62:11 K:BB ratio in 58.2 innings. He saw less success at Double-A (4.72 ERA) but he still posted a 75:33 K:BB ratio across 76.1 innings.

Additionally, his 3.41 FIP and 3.68 xFIP indicate he suffered some bad luck. And at just 20 years old, Burrows was extremely young for Double-A.

There is a lot to get excited about when looking at Burrow’s potential. Prospect writer Marc Hulet at Fangraphs says it best:

He has a chance to reach the majors with four average or better offerings and his fastball works in the 91-95 mph range. His above-average control (38 walks in 120.1 combined innings) and improved command helps his stuff play up.

Even despite his age, Burrows is the most advanced starting pitcher in the Tigers system. Of the young core of Tiger starters (which includes Franklin Perez, Alex Faedo, Matt Manning and Kyle Funkhouser) Burrows will likely be the first to make the major leagues.

Next: Future Friday: Isaac Paredes

Burrows will start 2018 in Double-A. He won’t need much time at that level before he gets his first crack at Triple-A. If he excels there, he could make his major league debut sometime during the 2018 season.

Either way, he will compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training 2019 and is going to be a big part of the Tigers rotation for years to come.