Not many players have the upside and ceiling that Chase Burns does. In most aspects he’s still a baby. A mere 22-year- old baby now playing a grown man’s game. After being the Reds first selection of the 2024 draft, here we are a year later. Burns is in the starting rotation of the Cincinnati Reds.
His rise to the majors was as fast of a journey as a chetah.
It was only a few years ago the newest Reds phenom was in the hills of Tennessee mowing hitters down for the Vols. Despite turning heads in the 2023 College World Series as a Tennessee pitcher, Burns was not fulfilled. He entered the transfer portal as so many athletes do now in college. Burns landed at Wake Forrest. All he did was set the team record for strikeouts for the Demon Deacons to be named ACC pitcher of the year. His talent caught the eye of many professional scouts.
It wasn’t long before the Cincinnati Reds decided Burns would look good in Reds gear. A few years ago the team selected pitcher Hunter Green first. They wasted no time doing the same thing with Burns.
Burns did his time and did it fast in the minor leagues. He had stints with the Dayton Dragons, Chattanooga Lookouts, and Louisville Bats before the bell rang. In the words of the great LeBron James, it was time for the phenom to take his talents to the majors. Burns made his MLB debut for the Reds on 6-24-25. Right out of the bat he would be tested against one of MLB’s best and most storied franchises. Immediately, Burns made his mark striking out the first five Yankees he faced. He would go on to get the win vs. New York.
The young Burns would find out really fast life in the majors is nowhere as easy as college and the minors in his next start. He wouldn’t even make it through an inning against the Boston Reds Sox. The Reds’ rookie was plastered with 5 runs on 5 hits in less than an inning in a lopsided loss to Boston.
Sometimes, rookies have to be baptized by fire. The former college standout is learning quickly what it will take to be successful in the majors. The Reds have set the groundwork for a team that the sky can be the limit. Only health and experience stands in the way of young studs like Burns, Greene and Abbott to become the next pitching staff sensation.
For now, Chase Burns will have his ups and downs in 2025. He’ll use it to learn. If manager Terry Francona and his staff are able to get the best out of Burns, in the next few years they could have another all-star on their hands.