What’s the Pirates’ Plan for Mike Burrows?…
Mike Burrows, a right-handed pitching prospect for the Pirates, spent most of last season sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023. Despite making a return to play in under 14 months—a relatively quick recovery for this type of injury, which often requires over 18 months to fully heal—Burrows’ progress in 2024 has been uneven.
Ranked among Pittsburgh’s Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline and having once been in the top ten before his UCL injury, Burrows struggled in his initial four starts, managing to pitch into the third inning only once at the rookie ball and Single-A levels. He also gave up 13 earned runs in 13.2 innings, a stark contrast to the high expectations he carried from the previous season.
Since returning to Indianapolis, Burrows has shown improvement, with a 3.86 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. However, these stats alone don’t fully capture his situation.
Mike Burrows: Analyzing the Stats
In his nine Triple-A appearances this season (eight of them starts), Burrows hasn’t faced an opposing lineup a third time. He has pitched more than four innings only once, in a five-inning relief appearance on August 8th due to a scheduling conflict.
He has also thrown more than 75 pitches in a game just once. Of his 576 pitches, 370 were strikes, a commendable 64 percent. His fastball velocity ranges from 92 to 96 mph, slightly below his peak of 97 mph but still impressive.
When asked about any pitch or inning limits for Burrows following his surgery on August 28, Pirates’ Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk stated that from a medical perspective, Burrows is fully recovered and has met all rehabilitation benchmarks. Tomczyk clarified that there are no specific inning limits or restrictions on his pitch repertoire, but the team is carefully monitoring his recovery.
What’s Going On?
It’s often challenging to get clear answers from sports teams regarding performance and limitations, as these matters can be sensitive. Tomczyk mentioned that Burrows added a slider to his pitch arsenal this season, which he hadn’t fully tested before his injury.
Burrows’ performance in Triple-A has been inconsistent. In some starts, he has managed to complete four innings while allowing only one run, but in others, he has been pulled after giving up more than one run. His velocity remains steady throughout his starts, suggesting that fatigue isn’t the issue.
In the starts where Burrows completed four innings, his pitch counts were 60, 64, 74, and 74. According to standard practice, it would be reasonable to expect him to pitch at least another inning or two in these cases, although only the last start occurred after Tomczyk’s statement that Burrows wasn’t on a pitch count.
Next Steps
If the Pirates have concerns about letting Burrows pitch deeper into games, moving him to the bullpen might be a viable option. The team has plenty of starting pitching with Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Mitch Keller secured for the future, along with promising minor leaguers like Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, and Braxton Ashcraft.
Even in an era of strict pitch and inning limits, a starting pitcher is generally expected to handle 90-100 pitches and face a lineup a third time unless they’re struggling. Transitioning Burrows to the bullpen wouldn’t mean giving up on his potential as a starter; rather, it would allow the team to manage his workload while addressing immediate needs on the roster.
While caution is understandable following an injury, it’s challenging to see the rationale behind consistently limiting Burrows to 75 pitches regardless of his performance.
Given that Burrows is on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, which signifies a more immediate developmental timeline, it’s unclear how holding him back despite strong performances aligns with his progression.
