Once a week leading up to the 2016 MLB Draft Perfect Game will provide detailed scouting reports, and video (when available) on 10 of the top draft-eligible prospects. The first report each week will be available for free, the rest can be viewed with a PG Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.
Previous MLB Draft Packs:
March 18: Josh Lowe, Matt Manning, A.J. Puk, Nick Senzel, Mike Shawaryn, Alex Speas, Bryan Reynolds, Blake Rutherford, Taylor Trammell, Robert Tyler.
March 25: Braxton Garrett, Dakota Hudson, Connor Jones, Reggie Lawson, Kyle Lewis, Drew Mendoza, Mickey Moniak, Corey Ray, Buddy Reed, Forrest Whitley
April 1: Bryson Brigman, Zack Collins, Carlos Cortes, Jason Groome, Daulton Jefferies, Chris Okey, Delvin Perez, Nicholas Quintana, Cole Ragans, Logan Shore
April 8: Will Benson, Austin Bergner, Zack Burdi, Luis Curbelo, Zac Gallen, Anfernee Grier, Zach Jackson, Nolan Jones, Riley Pint, Matt Thaiss
April 15: Nick Banks, Ryan Boldt, Ben Bowden, Kevin Gowdy, Cooper Johnson, Charles King, Eric Lauer, Joe Rizzo, Walker Robbins, Jordan Sheffield
April 22: Ian Anderson, Bo Bichette, Justin Dunn, Lucas Erceg, David Hamilton, Alec Hansen, Cole Irvin, Alexis Torres, Ryan Zeferjahn, T.J. Zeuch
April 29: Peter Alonso, Bailey Clark, Zach Hess, Anthony Kay, Carter Kieboom, Matt Krook, Ben Rortvedt, Cody Sedlock, Cole Stobbe, Avery Tuck
May 6: C.J. Chatham, Jon Duplantier, Kyle Funkhouser, Nick Hanson, Thomas Hatch, Thomas Jones, Gavin Lux, Braeden Ogle, Heath Quinn, Joey Wentz
May 13: Shaun Anderson, Bobby Dalbec, Dane Dunning, John Flowers, Jake Fraley, Jared Horn, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Muller, Jake Rogers, Nonie Williams
Prospects covered this week: Corbin Burnes, Will Craig, Dalton Feeney, Nick Lodolo, Nolan Martinez, Sean Murphy, A.J. Puckett, Hudson Sanchez, Nick Solak, Colton Welker
Corbin Burnes – RHP
Height/Weight: 6-3/205
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: Oct. 22, 1994
College: Saint Mary's
Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.
Projected Draft Round: 1-1S
As I wrote in Burnes’ report following his stint on the Cape last summer, there’s undoubtedly at least one college arm from a “smaller” conference who arrives somewhat under the radar on a national scene and uses the summer as a springboard into the first round. Last summer Burnes was that breakthrough arm and he now finds himself squarely in the first round talks and should be off the board by the conclusion of day one of the draft on June 9.
Undrafted out of Centennial High School back in 2013, Burnes wouldn’t be recognizable to most from his days as a prep as he’s grown roughly three inches and has added 25 pounds of strength when comparing his Perfect Game profile and current Saint Mary’s player page. Of course the pure stuff is also incredibly different otherwise Burnes would have been a high round draft out of high school and currently climbing up a team’s farm system.
After a rather unassuming freshman season in which he had a few turns in the rotation, though most of his innings came as a reliever, Burnes did a summer stint where he began transitioning into a starter as five of his six appearances in the Hamptons League were starts. Burnes showed impressive raw stuff but still struggled some with an ERA north of 5.00 before taking a sharp right turn as a sophomore when everything began to click. He began to thrive as a member of the Gaels' starting rotation and he also started to miss bats at a rather frequent rate before suiting up for the Orleans Firebirds last summer where he cemented his name on every prospect list.
Burnes didn’t necessarily blow his fastball past anybody on the Cape as he averaged less than a strikeout per inning (a clip he’ll well surpass this spring), but he did show some of his best pure stuff with reports coming of a fastball that touched upwards of 97 mph. And while he’s not consistently showing the big velocity in any given start, he is carrying a 92-94 mph fastball exceptionally well throughout a start showing a long and loose whip-like arm action through the back from which the ball absolutely explodes out of his hand.
His slider has been a swing-and-miss type offering this spring and it’s one that can work into the low-80s with short, late-tilting life down to the bottom of the zone. Maintaining his arm action and delivery, with a simple leg lift that appears similar to former Vanderbilt’s Carson Fulmer, but at a slowed down rate, Burnes throws his changeup with plenty of conviction and arm speed in the mid-80s with late fading life. Not only does he throw the pitch for strikes with sinking life, he shows the comfort to double or triple up on the pitch and can throw it to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. (JB)
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