Featured Columnist IVJuly 18, 2024
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The Cincinnati Reds signed pitcher Chase Burns to a contract with a $9.25 million signing bonus, breaking the record set last year by Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
Jim Callis of MLB.com reported terms of the deal, which was officially signed Thursday.
Jim Callis @jimcallisMLB
Burns sets a @MLBDraft record with a $9.25 million bonus. Best stuff in the draft, slider may be the best pitch in the draft. Surpasses the $9.2 million Paul Skenes got from @Pirates last year. https://t.co/xTg6nYT5qa
Burns was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB draft. The Wake Forest product was the ACC Pitcher of the Year, posting a 10-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while striking out a jaw-dropping 191 batters in 100 innings.
Most expected the Reds to focus on position players with the second pick, but they came away impressed with Burns’ high-90s fastball and knee-buckling slider.
“He’s the best college pitcher I’ve seen,” Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter said. “And that’s no knock on Paul Skenes, who obviously shut us out for eight innings last year [in the College World Series] and was awesome, or Matt Harvey from North Carolina. … Chase Burns is the best I’ve seen.”
Burns’ biggest challenge at the next level will be figuring out how to curtail the long ball. He gave up 1.3 homers per nine innings during his college career, and Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark is renowned for its hitter friendliness.
The Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana with the top overall pick. With his slot value at well over $10 million, it’s likely Burns’ record will short lived.
