When making a first impression, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than Chase Burns had last Saturday. Making his debut start for #1 Wake Forest, Burns put together a performance that had the entire industry buzzing.
Facing Illinois, Burns was in attack mode, pumping four-seamers by hitters and reaching 100 MPH. It took Burns 13 pitches to strike out the side in the first inning. He stuck with that same strategy in the second inning, this time only striking out two batters and taking 15 pitches to get out of that frame.
In the third and fourth innings, we started to see Burns throw more breaking stuff. His slider varied in speed, ranging from 88 to 92 MPH, and helped keep Burns in rhythm. I noticed he started to miss high with the four-seamer in these innings but got himself right after throwing a slider.
I also liked Burns' ability to throw the slider confidently in hitter counts. If he got behind, which wasn't often, Burns would freeze hitters gearing up to see heat only to have their knees buckle watching a slider break into the zone.
The ability to have two plus-pitches (60+ grade) will merit first-round consideration from MLB teams. Demonstrating a high-level command with those plus-pitches draws Top 5 pick hype. That's where the conversation lies within the MLB Draft industry. Did we give Burns too low of a preseason ranking? If Burns keeps pitching like this all season, will he even be on the board for the Chicago White Sox at Pick 5?
Burns' final line against Illinois was 6 IP 3 H 0 R 1 BB 10 K on 88 pitches. His next two projected starts will be against Dayton and Valparaiso. I do not imagine much of a challenge for Burns with those starts, but circle Saturday, March 9, on your calendar. #12 Duke visits Wake Forest and the Blue Devils' offense belted 16 home runs in the first weekend (three games). If Burns shuts down Duke's bats, expect a significant course correction in everyone's Top 100 Draft prospect lists.
TRAVIS BAZZANA BUSTS OUT THE BOOM STICK
When R.J. Anderson from CBS Sports released his Top 30 MLB Draft Prospects list, he followed suit like many of us, listing JJ Wetherholt, Nick Kurtz, and Travis Bazzana in order of the top three. But he had insight into what Cleveland is thinking early with the first pick.
“There's likely to be a disconnect between how his power is viewed by model-heavy teams (like, ahem, the Guardians) and more traditional clubs. His slugging indicators are superior to Wetherholt's, but, as one scout observed, he may already be optimized in that respect, making it unwise to project much growth. Wherever one lands on the matter, Bazzana should be a defensible choice if he does indeed stay atop Cleveland's board.”
R.J. Anderson, CBS Sports - 2024 MLB Draft rankings: Top 30 players in class as college baseball season kicks off with WVU star at No. 1
I watched Bazzana’s first game of the year against New Mexico, wanting to witness his bat speed after working at Driveline last year. It’s a pretty noticeable difference watching Bazzana and other college hitters. Where other hitters like to jump on pitches early as they enter the tunnel, Bazzana waits. Trusting his hands, Bazzana gives himself extra milliseconds to read pitches as they enter the tunnel. He made good adjustments and swings against breaking pitches.
But when Bazzana identified a pitch he could pull, he flexed some power in the opening weekend. Belting a home run against New Mexico on Opening Day and then hitting two against CSU Bakersfield. In the four-game tournament, Bazzana went 9-for-16 with a double, triple, and three home runs. He was also 3-for-4 in stolen base attempts while adding three walks.
Defensively, I need to watch Bazzana more, as college baseball still allows the shift. Some plays I saw Bazzana make were in shallow right field. That won’t fly professionally, so I scraped those defensive attempts, as it didn’t tell me if he could reach those grounders while standing in the dirt.
The bat looks legit early. I’m sure we’ll see as many Bazzana hitting highlights as Pitching Ninja posts Burns overlays this season.
Notable Performances
Charlie Condon, Georgia
- Played 3B and LF, making a great catch in foul territory.
- UNC-Wilmington didn’t have any big arms to challenge Condon velocity-wise. I did like how Condon displayed good patience and didn’t chase pitches out of the strike zone.
- Went 7-for-11; 3 Doubles, 3 BB 1 K 1 HBP
Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina
- Bad news: Honeycutt is 4-for-16 to start the season
- Good news: three of those four hits have gone for home runs
- Honeycutt has six strikeouts to just two walks, but he’s been hit by a pitch three times. It's an early and weird batting line for Honeycutt to start.
NCBWA Players of the Week
Hitter of the Week: JonJon Berring, Santa Clara
Berring had himself a series against Arizona State. He finished the three game series with 4 HR 13 RBI while going 8-for-15 with just two strikeouts
Pitcher of the Week: Cam Leiter, Florida State
While Chase Burns garnered a lot of attention on Opening Day, Cam Leiter was equally as impressive against Butler. In five scoreless innings, Leiter struck out 13 with two walks and only one hit allowed.
| 2024 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (FEB. 19) | ||||
| Rk. | School | Conference | Record | Pvs. |
| 1 | Wake Forest | ACC | 3-0 | 1 |
| 2 | LSU | SEC | 3-0 | 2 |
| 3 | TCU | Big 12 | 3-0 | 6 |
| 4 | Oregon State | Pac-12 | 3-0 | 8 |
| 5 | Arkansas | SEC | 2-1 | 4 |
| 6 | Florida | SEC | 0-1 | 3 |
| 7 | Tennessee | SEC | 2-1 | 5 |
| 8 | Clemson | ACC | 3-0 | 12 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | SEC | 3-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Vanderbilt | SEC | 2-1 | 7 |
| 11 | Virginia | ACC | 3-0 | 11 |
| 12 | Duke | ACC | 3-0 | 14 |
| 13 | East Carolina | American Athletic | 3-0 | 13 |
| 14 | North Carolina | ACC | 3-0 | 16 |
| 15 | Texas | Big 12 | 2-1 | 9 |
| 16 | South Carolina | SEC | 3-0 | 15 |
| 17 | NC State | ACC | 2-1 | 18 |
| 18 | Alabama | SEC | 3-0 | 23 |
| 19 | UCLA | Pac-12 | 3-0 | 22 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 2-1 | 20 |
| 21 | Iowa | Big Ten | 2-1 | 21 |
| 22 | Auburn | SEC | 3-0 | 25 |
| 23 | Stanford | Pac-12 | 1-2 | 17 |
| 24 | Kentucky | SEC | 3-0 | RV |
| 25 | DBU | CUSA | 3-0 | RV |
Games I’m Watching This Weekend
#4 Oregon State vs. #5 Arkansas - 2024 Kubota College Baseball Series
Globe Life Field (Arlington, Texas) 7:00 PM CT - FloBaseball
College baseball nerds like myself can’t wait for this game. I’m looking forward to seeing how Arkansas LHP Hagen Smith (#14 in the Sox Machine Top 100) had a bad Opening Day. He lasted just one inning, throwing 42 pitches. It won’t be easy to bounce back as Smith faces Travis Bazzana and an Oregon State offense hitting well early.
#13 East Carolina at #14 North Carolina - Friday, 3:00 PM CT on ACC Extra
It's a nice early showdown with two ranked teams squaring off. Also, get a chance to see how Vance Honeycutt performs against East Carolina RHP Trey Yesavage, who ranks #32 in the Sox Machine Top 100 prospects.
