Jake Burger

Jake Burger - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW 3B 10 45

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
45 40 45 50 45 60 40

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Jake Kerns

Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Tall and broad. Thick lower half and core. Strong forearms. Carries some bad weight. Maxed out physically. Legitimate injury concerns following two achilles tears.

Hit: Slightly crouched stance. Keeps his hands high and back. Some pre-pitch body sway and bat movement. Small leg kick as he steps into the pitch. Keep his weight evenly distributed. Linear swing that generates line drive contact when he connects. Above-average bat speed. The ball jumps off the bat. Shows a good eye on pitches out of the zone and has good bat-to-ball skills. Gets on top of the ball too often, which led to too many ground outs in 2017. Grade: 45

Power: Above-average or better raw power that has so far materialized as gap power in the pros. Mostly pull-side. Has enough strength and bat speed to impact the ball, but needs to focus on driving the ball with more regularity. Grade: 50

Field: Average instincts at 3B. Moves well laterally but has limited range. Will lay out for a ball in both directions. Footwork can get clunky, which leads to mistakes in the field. Grade: 45

Arm: Strong arm with significant carry across the diamond. Throws overhand when he needs to get something extra on it; goes sidearm to get it out quick to 2B. Throws were on target to 1B and 2B from 3B in limited looks. Profiles at 3B. Grade: 60

Run: Hustles out of the box, but runs with some effort. Not a threat to steal. Was a fringe-average runner before a series of lower leg injuries. Grade: 40

Overall: Burger hasn't taken any professional at-bats since 2017 due to a series of serious leg injuries. Prior to the injuries, he flashed big tools, particularly in his arm and power. There were questions about whether he could stay at 3B when he was drafted, and that persists, especially with the injury history. There's a significant amount of unknown in the current profile, but he carries some real upside if he can stay at 3B. He just needs to stay healthy.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: High