Four Detroit Tigers Who Could Lose 40-Man Roster Spots Soon

Detroit Tigers 40-man Roster Cut No. 2 – Beau Burrows

The Detroit Tigers’ other first-round pick in 2015 (22nd overall), Beau Burrows has arguably been even more disappointing than Christin Stewart. Burrows never had ideal size or projectibility, but he was one of the hardest throwers in the draft class, with a fastball that sat in the mid-90s and could touch as high as 98 MPH. His full-season debut as a starting pitcher was fine, but a low strikeout rate (6.2/9IP) caused some concern. He seemingly allayed those worries in 2017 with an excellent turn in the Florida State League, posting a 1.23 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning over 11 starts. But it’s all been kind of downhill since then. He never seemed to fully rein in his command, and he hasn’t found a reliable secondary offering. He owns a career Double-A ERA of 4.22 over 42 starts, and struggled to a 5.51 ERA in 15 Triple-A outings. There was always some speculation Burrows’ size and delivery might be better suited for the bullpen, and he did show a pretty nasty high-spin fastball in his 2017 Futures Game outing. But in his MLB debut as a  reliever last year his fastball averaged just 93 MPH, and it topped out at 91.6 this spring. He’s still just 24, and there’s a chance his velocity could climb again, but if you’re a reliever with a below-average fastball, below-average control, and no reliable secondary offerings, you probably aren’t long for the roster.