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Burnette's left-handed stroke looks like a good fit at first base. (Photo: Tony Lastoria) |
Burnette, 22, played in 72 total games for short season Single-A Mahoning Valley and Low-A Lake County and hit .265 with 9 HR, 30 RBI, and .750 OPS.
It was a solid, unspectacular start to Burnette’s career. A career that was kicked off when he decided not to go back to school at Georgia Tech for his senior season, and a decision he does not regret.
"Absolutely,” Burnette said in a recent interview for the IPI about his belief he made the right decision turning pro. “I felt it was the best decision given my situation. Georgia Tech has a really good program, but I felt like it was a good time to start my career and I felt the Indians were a great team to start my career with. Things are going pretty well and I am loving it and having a blast. It was really a great team [in Mahoning Valley] to start my career with because the coaching staff [was] great, so it made for a really easy transition.”
Signing quickly out of college and then playing at Mahoning Valley right away, Burnette got a two and a half month crash course of the demands of playing everyday and the toll it can take on a player’s mind and body. It was one of the things he picked up in his first half season that he feels will probably be one of the biggest challenges for him, especially next season.
"I can tell you right now the hardest adjustment is playing everyday,” Burnette said. “It is a grind and it kind of wears your body down a little bit. In college you are doing baseball stuff, but it is different when you are playing games everyday. It is why we do a short season so we can just get used to the routine and our bodies can get used to how it feels so next year we will be ready to go for a full 140 game season."
Burnette showed a nice refined swing with good strength and bat speed in his debut last season. His advanced approach at the plate and nice transition to the pro game was helped by facing some top level pitching at Georgia Tech. One of those pitchers he faced a lot was fellow Tribe right-handed pitcher Alex White whom the Indians drafted in the first round of the 2009 Draft.
“I think one of the biggest things that helped was the level of pitching I saw at Tech,” Burnette said. “The transition is going to be hard regardless, but I feel like the pitching I saw at Georgia Tech has really helped me have a smoother transition. Just from the guys I played against, Alex White [at North Carolina] was probably the best pitcher I saw in college baseball. So I was not overwhelmed when I got [to Mahoning Valley and Lake County] as I had seen this level of pitching before and I knew how to handle it."
One of the first things that Burnette and the Indians have to sort out is what position he will play as a professional. He split his time between left field and first base last year, but the organization appears committed to developing him as a first baseman.
“They did say in Instructional League that they would be focusing on me as a first baseman because they think that is where my future will be,” Burnette said. “I have played both growing up my whole life as I played outfield in college and played a little first base in the summers and in high school.”
Burnette is an average defender with an above average arm in the outfield, so it is a position he should be able to fall back on if needed. In the meantime he will fill an organizational need at first base in the lower levels next season, and it will also help add some versatility to his game. Some scouts view him as a future corner utility player, a player with some pop from the left side of the plate who is versatile and can play the corner outfield positions and first base.
"I am getting a lot more comfortable at first base,” Burnette said. “I love playing first base as it is very fun to me. I wasn't very comfortable [in the early going], but I feel 100 times more comfortable there now than I did at the start of the season. My comfort level just continues to go up. They say my hands are doing better, but my footwork needs a lot of work. It is more of the lateral movement and getting my feet in front of the ball."
With the change to first base and some adjustments Burnette is making at the plate, he has a lot on his plate this offseason and for the start of his first full season in 2011.
"I have been working all year on staying aggressive at the plate but being as selective as I can, so that is what I am going to focus really hard on as well as being as solid as I can at first base,” Burnette said. “One of the biggest things is confidence, so as long as I am working hard and staying solid at first base my confidence will keep going up."
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling stateside).
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