Reds' top prospect showcases electric fastball in Double-A debut
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Chase Burns¡¯ fastball was humming in his Double-A debut for the Chattanooga Lookouts on Saturday.
The Reds¡¯ No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 24) threw more than 10 pitches that exceeded the 100-mph mark against the Braves' Columbus Clingstones (per the ballpark's unofficial radar gun readings), and he did so in just four innings of work during the club's 8-2 win at AT&T Field.
Burns, who was Cincinnati's first pick in last year¡¯s Draft (second overall), is rising up the Minor League ranks almost as quickly as his fastball is getting on opposing batters. He fanned 20 batters in 11 2/3 innings through three starts with High-A Dayton this year, and with his latest outing accounted for, he has yielded just a .182 batting average against, while posting a 2.87 ERA.
Burns' final stat line: five hits, five strikeouts, one earned run and one walk in four innings pitched.
Burns had a bit of a clunky start: His fastball was popping into the catcher¡¯s mitt, but not with the accuracy his backstop may have wanted. He walked his first batter after a 3-2 count, but quickly sent him back to the dugout courtesy of a crisp pickoff move to first.
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Columbus¡¯ next pair of batters got the best of him, the latter plating the game¡¯s first run with a double off the wall on a breaking pitch. Burns, however, recovered to retire the next two batters via ground out.
In the second, he locked in, striking out three of the four batters he faced, all with blazing fastballs up in the zone.
Burns showed a calm poise the next inning after getting into a first-and-third predicament with no outs. After fanning David McCabe (ATL No. 18) on his signature fastball, the runner on first was called out due to a batter¡¯s interference. In the next at-bat, Burns coaxed a groundout on three pitches to escape the jam.
In the fourth, he collected three straight outs to finish a solid day on the hill.
The Reds are blessed with a plethora of top prospects (six in MLB¡¯s top 100), while No. 2, Rhett Lowder, has already seen time in the Majors. But Burns¡¯ performance Saturday was a glimpse into why he has received top billing since getting his pro career underway just a few weeks ago.