Beau Burrows named Player of the Month for April

Several pitchers in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system are out to excellent starts this season, but Beau Burrows has been the star of the show. MiLB confirmed that assessment by naming Burrows the Florida State League’s player of the month for April. Currently ranked as the Tigers’ 3rd overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the 20-year-old is well on his way to rewarding the Tigers’ decision to draft him with the 22nd overall pick in 2015.

Pitching for the Tigers’ High-A affiliate, the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Burrows went 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in April. Overall, in seven starts, he currently holds a 3-1 record and a 1.16 ERA. Burrows has racked up 40 strikeouts to seven walks in 38 ²⁄₃ innings, with a 1.01 WHIP. His roll hasn’t slowed in May. On Sunday, he spun seven innings without an earned run against the Palm Beach Cardinals, racking up another seven strikeouts along the way.

Burrows’ dominant start is already stirring talk of promotion to the Double-A Erie SeaWolves among prospect watchers. He’s been a pleasant surprise after a solid, but unspectacular, first full season of pro ball with the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2016. While Burrows overall results were good, the strikeout totals weren’t impressive, leading to some downgrades in his stock. The fact that he’s come out this season punching out over a batter per inning with fine control bodes well for his future success.