Jake Burger was his usual upbeat, enthusiastic self upon his return to Charlotte. Here are the highlights of our chat.
FS: You hit a home run in your first game back in Charlotte. What was your approach in that at bat?
“I hit a slider really hard (foul) so I thought I’d sit on a fastball and he threw me a fastball and I connected with it.”
FS: Can you describe your big league experience?
“It meant being able to play with some of the world’s greatest players. You step on the field with Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu every single day, and you’re stepping into the box with Altuve, Correa, all these guys playing against you…stepping into the box against Corbin Burnes, one of the game’s best pitchers…you grow up seeing all these guys and now you’re actually there playing against them, it didn’t feel real, and it still doesn’t. That feeling won’t go away for a while.”
FS: Did you work at second base while in Chicago?
“Yeah, I took groundballs probably five times a week in Chicago. I’m constantly working on it, even if they don’t need me at second base, I just want to add it to the repertoire.”
FS: What was your single best experience in Chicago?
“Probably the home run. I hit it really hard and my family was there. There were 35,000 fans, and it was against the Astros so that was pretty cool experience. It put us up 10-0 but the fans were going crazy like it was the go-ahead home run.”
FS: What did the White Sox tell you when they sent you down?
“We want you to play every day and you’re not getting that opportunity up here, which I’m perfectly fine with, I want to play every day. After missing baseball for three years, being able to play every day is very important to me and it doesn’t matter where it is at.”
FS: Can you describe the emotion of the call-up?
“The last year has been crazy. This time last year I was playing in a collegiate league. The last year has been a whirlwind and a lot of new experiences. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities the White Sox have given me.”
FS: Did playing in Chicago give you confidence?
“Yes, I gained a lot of confidence up there and I proved to myself that I belonged. Now I’m back here fine-tuning some things and getting to work with these guys again is awesome.”
Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.