Pirates Farm System
Pirates Top 30 Prospects No. 15: Mike Burrows Gets Delayed But Makes Debut
This is one in a series of stories breaking down PBN’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.
The road to recovery from Tommy John surgery is long and dreaded. It’s even more so when a player is on the cusp of pitching in the Major Leagues for the first time.
Mike Burrows looked destined to reach Pittsburgh in 2023 after starting the season in Triple-A Indianapolis. But after only a pair of starts, it was revealed Burrows would miss the rest of the season and a good chunk of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April.
The right-hander has long been one of the better pitching prospects in the Pirates’ system. Burrows shined with Double-A Altoona in 2022 before receiving a promotion to Indianapolis during the season.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old has an appealing pitch mix consisting of three above-average offerings. His best pitch is a mid-90s fastball and he compliments it with a curveball and changeup, all while possessing good command.
After being out of commission for over a year, Burrows was finally able to return to the mound and put his pitch mix to use in live games with the FCL Pirates. There was understandably some rust for Burrows as he worked his way back from the lower levels of the minor leagues back up to Triple-A but he was eventually able to return to form.
The Pirates’ rewarded Burrows’ resilience by adding him to their taxi squad for the final series of the season against the Yankees in New York. On the second to last day of the season, Burrows stepped onto the mound for the first time in relief of star rookie Paul Skene on a wet and dreary day in the Bronx.
Burrows’ big league debut lasted 3.1 innings and he allowed one earned run (two total runs) on two hits in 3.1 innings. He was able to work around some control issues — which could have been the result of some jitters — to keep a potent Yankees’ lineup largely in check.
The end result for Burrows was his first-career win as the Pirates came out on top 9-4 against the eventual American League champions.
With a healthy right elbow and his first win under his belt, Burrows will vie for a more significant role as part of a strong group of starting pitching depth for the Pirates in 2025.
I thought Burrows was going to the AFL to makeup some innings
Nope, not this year.
Burrows, Ashcraft, and Oviedo should all figure strongly into the bullpen mix to start the year, since they all need to eased back into a full workload after injury. Ashcraft may be bullpen permanently.