Pirates All 40: Mike Burrows Makes Long-Awaited Debut

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

The Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Entry Draft.

Six years, five seasons — his 2020 campaign got wiped out due to the COVID-19 induced cancellation of the MiLB season — and one reconstructed elbow ligament later, Burrows made his long-awaited big league debut at the tail end of the 2024 season, toeing the mound for 3.1 innings in relief of Paul Skenes against a New York Yankees team that would go on to win the American League pennant less than a month later.

After tearing through the Eastern League with the Altoona Curve in 2022 and rocketing up the various prospect lists as a result, Burrows looked prepared for the major leagues early in the 2023 season, when he put up a 2.70 ERA over his first two starts with Triple-A Indianapolis.

He suffered an injury to the UCL in his throwing elbow during that second start, however, and underwent the dreaded Tommy John surgery later that month. Burrows didn’t pitch in a live game for close to 14 months, then endured an inconsistent 2024 season as he worked his way back to full health… but that didn’t stop him from receiving his big league call-up in late September.

Pitch Arsenal

Mike Burrows possesses the standard four-pitch arsenal for a member of the starting rotation, with a strong fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s, which he compliments with a mid-80s changeup that gets plenty of run. He also mixes in a snappy curveball and a slider, throwing each roughly 10 percent of the time in his lone big league start.

Even though he made his Pirates’ debut at the end of 2024, that doesn’t necessarily mean Burrows will start next season in the big leagues: a strong spring training performance could land him a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he could also begin back in the minor leagues in order to ease his way back to consistency. Pittsburgh enjoys a wealth of starting pitching options, so Burrows’ injury history could suggest a move to the bullpen if the depth chart clogs up… whether as a stopgap or a full time switch.