I caught up with Chicago White Sox farmhand Jacob Burke ahead of the 2023 season.
Stand back! There’s a hurricane comin’ through…
Day three of baseball’s amateur draft often lends it itself to creative story telling and lifelong dreams being set in motion. In 2018, when the White Sox selected Romy González in the 18th round, nothing about his skillset appeared to be extraordinary.
The three year college performer hit 15 homers in just under 500 at-bats for the Miami Hurricanes. Overall, though, he really struggled at the plate. Despite that, Veteran scout Pepe Ortega liked the overall package enough to push for the Florida native and the White Sox signed him for $125,000.
González entered the system pretty much immediately and smashed 10 homers in 54 games in rookie ball after signing during the summer of 2018. The following season, the Miami product posted a 105 wRC+ in Low-A over the course of 405 plate appearances.
Extensive work went into the 6-foot-1, 215 pounder’s routine during the pandemic and when it was over, his baseball profile had changed. Noticeably, his build and improved body mass took form. The then 24-year-old turned himself into a legitimate prospect in 2021 with a potential big league future.
Double-A is a tall task and playing home games in Birmingham has been a challenging experience for many White Sox prospects over the years. It’s why the former Hurricane’s success there really turned some heads.
In 78 games with the Barons in 2021, Romy hit .267/.355/.502 with 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases to help establish his 136 wRC+. He followed that up with a .370/.417/.704 line in 15 games in Charlotte at the Triple-A affiliate. He earned his first big league promotion and secured a spot on the 40-man roster.
The now 26-year-old was on his way to a big league future, but injuries of all types derailed his 2022 campaign. He finished the year in Chicago after 38 sporadic minor league games. During a brief five game jaunt in the Arizona Complex League on the comeback trail, the former 18th rounder belted four homers and drove in 10 runs in 19 plate appearances. Another former Miami outfielder was on hand to witness it in person.
“After I got drafted, I was in the ACL when Romy was on a rehab assignment and I got to play with him,” said recent White Sox pick Jacob Burke. “Got to pick his brain. He hit like four bombs in a week.”
Burke worked out once with González this off-season and met him originally at a Miami Alumni Game. The White Sox used their first selection on day three of the 2022 MLB Draft on the 21-year-old outfielder and secured his services with an over-slot bonus of $225,000.
Landing in Chicago
Similarly to Ortega back in 2018, veteran scout Abe Fernandez became very familiar with the Miami baseball program last season. Fernandez tracked Burke pretty heavily and it paid off for the organization once negotiations took place on the draft’s second day. The trigger wasn’t ultimately pulled until round 11, but the bonus rules in place made that process alluring for Mike Shirley and his staff.
The baseball draft is about bonuses and while he went in the 11th round, Burke’s commitment was the seventh largest in the class for the White Sox and commensurate with a seventh round draft pick. Waiting until day three just allowed the club to manipulate the bonus pool space while getting the player an extra $100,000. This strategy isn’t uncommon but the then 21-year-old needed some insight on the plan.
“I really didn’t have a whole lot of understanding about how it worked,” Burke said. “My dad played football and my brother pitched at Southeast Louisiana. At the end of the day, I was pretty much projected by most teams to go between 5-10 and that obviously didn’t work out but the White Sox expressed interest and paid me 6th to 7th round money, which is what I was projected as anyway.”
The 6-foot-1, 210 pounder formed a bond with the White Sox during the pre-draft process, but things needed to line up still.
“I talked to the White Sox a little bit,” he continued. “A lot of teams saw me in the same range. I spoke to the Mets on day two of the draft but the White Sox seemed to truly believe in me more than any other team and they really laid out a future for me and saw potential and upside in my game. A good relationship started and a connection was made with them.”
The White Sox have always had an affinity for multi-sport athletes, especially football players and Jacob Burke checks those boxes. The outfielder even thought his future might involve football at one point.
“I played football in high school. Up until my senior year I thought I was going to play football at the next level. It wasn’t really until my senior year that I got a lot of baseball exposure. Recruiting classes were locked in and I decided to attend Southeast Louisiana. Freshman year was the Covid year. I became a Freshman All-American the next year and then transferred to Miami.”
Jacob Burke to FutureSox
Burke hit .347/.425/.599 with 13 homers in 60 games for the Miami Hurricanes after transferring. He possessed a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio, but he did reach base via hit by pitches 30 times in 131 college games.
He’s been lauded for his defensive ability in the outfield and he should stick in center field. Burke plays like his hair is on fire and the White Sox really admire his leadership qualities. Getting an elite athlete who can play center field in the 11th round is generally worth the gamble.
After the selection was made, Shirley noted Burke’s “intriguing blend of tools, performance and makeup.” The scouting director described a back and forth negotiation, but Burke told FutureSox that he wanted to begin his professional career.
“I just felt like I was ready to start my professional career and I transferred last year with a plan to make a name for myself at a bigger school and get drafted,” he said. “I went there and hit .350 and made some big plays, locked down center field and I felt like I did what I had to do. I have no regrets. I’m definitely in the right place and ready to get to work.”
Professional Debut
After signing his first professional contract, Burke posted a 175 wRC+ in five games in Arizona playing in the Complex League. He wasn’t surprised that he didn’t spend much time in the desert.
“To be honest,” Burke said, “I didn’t really think the competition was really a huge jump. The rookie league was sort of lesser competition than I played against in the ACC last year and once I got to A ball, it was more comparable to my college season.”
In 22 games with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the Burke posted a 126 wRC+ after slashing .269/.380/.410 and playing strong defense in center field. Burke was happy with his debut overall.
“I thought it went pretty well. It was a little bit of an adjustment going from metal to wood, so I think just that adjustment was the main thing for my first opening season. I’ve had a chance to train all offseason with the wood now though and play around with different models and brands and weight distributions and I’m starting to lock in now and feel really comfortable.”
Jacob Burke to FutureSox
Showed up & showed out 💪
— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) August 13, 2022
Jacob Burke went 2-3 with 2 RBI singles and made an amazing diving catch in RF in the top of the sixth in his debut with the Ballers last night! pic.twitter.com/0TbEBHxN0q
After playing in just 27 professional games, Burke was introspective about what improvements needed to be made to succeed in 2023.
“There are things you work to get better on every day, but one of the main things that kept me confident was that there wasn’t a huge learning curve and I’ve been able to work on the things I need to get better at,” Burke said.
Anticipating 2023
The outfielder felt that he gained some valuable insight from his peers down in the Miami area this winter as well.
“I’m ready to put forth all my training hours and experiences training with Jazz Chisolm and Jorge Soler,” Burke said. “Talking to Colas and Romy — being surrounded by guys who have made it through the system or are knocking on the door — being able to pick their brains has been helpful. Having a plan going into the season is important to me.”
The White Sox relayed their message on what they think the outfielder can be and it was a primary focus of his training this winter.
“We definitely had a plan from the White Sox,” said Burke. “Strength and mobility testing from last year was important. Moving my body more efficiently and staying athletic and just being more efficient with the movements on the strength side was a focus.
“With hitting, I would say continuing to use the whole field and trying to drive the baseball. It’s pretty obvious that to make it to the major leagues, those guys are continuously hitting doubles and home runs and driving the baseball so it’s one thing I’ve tried to become more consistent on; hitting for power.”
Burke participated in instructional league in Arizona and took part in minor league spring training. When we talked, he wasn’t sure where he was headed to start, but he just wanted an opportunity to play.
“I haven’t heard anything and nobody really knows, but, for me, it doesn’t really matter,” Burke said. “I don’t care where I start out because it doesn’t matter what level, cream always rises to the top and I plan on making plays and doing my job regardless.”
Burke believes that he’ll stay in center field and the White Sox will give him every opportunity to do so.
“Yeah, I’d say I’m definitely a centerfielder,” he said, ahead of his first full season. “I can really run them down out there and I play with no fear by the wall. That’s where I think I’m most comfortable and play my best game at is up the middle.”
WHAT A DIVING CATCH BY JACOB BURKE 🛩️
— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) August 26, 2022
Are we surprised? No.
Was it incredible? Yes.@MiLB | @MLB | @JomboyMedia | @FarmToFame_ | @soxmachine_josh | @SportsCenter | @CanesBaseball | @BaseballBros | @espn | @whitesox pic.twitter.com/dmjeJNPjRl
While grateful for the position that the organization has put him in, Burke shared what fans can expect from him.
“I’m a highlight reel, fan favorite type player. I play with no fear and a lot of energy and I kind of bring a little bit of everything to the table. There’s not one thing that I do exceptionally well but I think I have all five tools. I’m a very exciting player to watch and I think the White Sox made a good decision. Teams will realize in the future that they’ll regret passing on me.”
Jacob Burke to FutureSox
The White Sox are hoping that Pepe Ortega and Abe Fernandez have more in common than working for the organization. Romy González and Jacob Burke possess similar profiles. Neither player would willingly put a cap on their ultimate ceilings as players but it’s safe to say that all parties would be thrilled if the 11th rounder from 2022 followed a similar development path to the 18th rounder from 2018.
Nice article. It’s interesting to hear these guys’ thoughts. More please.
I don’t really understand all the details fo the draft. If they were going to pay Burke 7th round money, why not draft him in the 7th round and not chance someone else taking him?
After the 10th round, 125K of each bonus doesn’t count towards a team’s bonus pool.
Thanks. and why does MLB do that?
Not sure. Maybe so that teams don’t try to game the bonus pool by drafting a bunch of non-prospects in rounds 11-20 to have more money for the top of the draft. I imagine that it’s collectively bargained.
In rounds 11-20, players can make $125K without it counting against the bonus pool. The overage counts though. Because they paid him $225K in round 11, only $100 million counts against the pool. Had they taken Burke in rounds 7-10 and paid him $225K, the entire $225K counts against the pool.
Eloy to the dl… amazing stuff. Hahn first to comment that he isnt injury prone.
That didn’t take long. Just 5 games.
injured while running the bases. There goes the “He’ll be healthy if he only DHs” theory.
Not sure anyone thought that. More like he’d be less likely to get injured as a DH.
Yeah, it’s not like this makes putting him in the OF a good idea.
At least Burger is probably their most adequate backup at any position. It will be good to see him get some at bats. If anybody other than Eloy gets hurt, they are really in trouble.
There are plenty of DH that don’t look athletic at all, and they thrive and remain uninjured except Eloy. Eloy’s legs preparation and strengthening regimen is definitely poor. Nobody can’t have such a weak legs for so long.
How durable are his hamstrings?
It’ll be nice to see this kid grow in confidence once he learns to come out of his shell.
Haha
Good stuff. Sticking in CF is a great way to move forward; a solid showing with the bat in Kanny is encouraging, even if he’s old for the level. Could see an Engel-like path and role for him.