Burrows' composure continues to impress in bid to make roster
Alex Stumpf
@AlexJStumpfNORTH PORT, Fla. -- It has been a very different Spring Training for Mike Burrows compared to a year ago. In 2024, he was still rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery with no chance to break camp with the club.
This time, Burrows has had an offseason of preparation for the year ahead instead of rehab. He also has his first Major League game and win under his belt, after getting the call for the Pirates’ penultimate game of the 2024 season at Yankee Stadium.
“Really good offseason,” Burrows said. “Positive offseason. Good to come into camp healthy and at least have a shot this year.”
That first game at Yankee Stadium showed a lot of what the Pirates’ No. 15 prospect per MLB Pipeline has to offer: a high-spin curve, mid-90s heater, slider and changeup.
But to manager Derek Shelton, the biggest thing Burrows showed in that first game – in front of his family and friends from Connecticut and more than 46,000 fans – was fearlessness.
“I mean, you get that start at the end of a rehab-type situation, and to come to New York and pitch like that and go right at [them], and in a stadium that's very close to his house,” Shelton said. “He grew up going to those games. So that was the thing that stood out to me the most, just how composed he was."
Burrows showed that composure in Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park. He was shaky in the first inning and had to give way to a reliever to finish the frame. Pitchers are allowed to re-enter games in Spring Training, and after taking that time to collect himself, Burrows retired four more hitters on 16 pitches.
Burrows might be a different type of pitcher than some of the young hurlers in camp, like the power stuff of a Jared Jones or the finesse of a Thomas Harrington. But it’s that mentality that links this group, in his eyes.
“We all have our own things, but [we have] the mentality on the mound to attack guys, get guys out quick and get back to the dugout,” Burrows said.
Given the wealth of young pitching the Pirates have, it’s telling that Burrows is still in camp when Spring Training innings are starting to become scarce. Just this week, Pittsburgh reassigned two of its top prospects – Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco – to Minor League camp because it couldn’t find innings for them, and the Bucs need to get ready for the regular season.
Burrows is still in camp and still competing for his first Opening Day spot. The Pirates view him as a starter, but Shelton didn’t rule out the possibility of using him as a reliever. Burrows is receptive to the idea if it’s needed, but the vision for him and the team is for him to start.
“Just knowing they have the confidence in me to be a starter and stay a starter right now is huge,” Burrows said. “To still be getting starts at this point in March is really cool and gives you a little confidence.”
? The Pirates reassigned Chandler after their game against the Orioles on Thursday night, squashing the remote chance that he could pull a Jones and break camp with the team. While Chandler’s time with the team was brief this year, he’s definitely on the radar for 2025.
“He's impressive,” Shelton said. “He's got a good arm. I think he got a little touch of Minor League camp, a little touch of the middle of the Yankees' order. That's good. That's important. My money is on this kid. He's tough, he's resilient. He takes challenges, and he's going to be a really good Major League pitcher."
? Jared Triolo won the National League Gold Glove Award for utilitymen last season, a testament to his defensive prowess and versatility.
But his poker face? Eh, it may need some work.
Triolo got the news while on Nick Gonzales’ bachelor trip, but he couldn’t share it with the group.
“I was like, ‘Bro, why are you being weird?’” Gonzales recalled to SportsNet Pittsburgh’s Hannah Mears before he was relayed the news. “... I was like, bro, why don’t you tell me these things?”
"They told us not to share with anybody, so I mean I barely told my mom and dad,” Triolo said, pleading his case. “And when Nick asked me, it kind of locked me up a little bit. I think he said I looked awkward or gave an awkward face, but I don't know about that."