2023 Cleveland Guardians prospect scouting report: #41 RHP Tanner Burns

The former comp round pick struggled with maintaining velocity and command in 2022 but showed flashes of good secondaries

Background, Build and Delivery

Tanner Burns was taken by the Guardians in the competitive balance section of the first round in the 2020 five round draft. He spent the entirety of 2021 pitching for High-A Lake County before advancing to Akron in 2022. He had a 23.7% K rate, 11.6% BB rate, and 3.55 ERA in 88.2 innings for the Rubberducks.  Burns is solidly built with a maxed-out frame at 6’ 215 pounds. 

What Burns Does Well

When at his best Burns features two solid offerings in his riding fastball and hard slider. His fastball features good vertical movement from a fairly low release point (due to his shorter stature), allowing the pitch to induce whiffs when thrown with average velocity up in the zone. Burns does a very good job of manipulating the shape of his slider, which he can throw in the high-80s with cutter-like movement for a strike, or at a lower velocity with more movement in two-strike counts.

Justin L. @JL_Baseball

Tanner Burns sword if @PitchingNinja wants it, I would be honored

Where Burns Needs to Improve

There have always been questions about Burns’s ability to start due to his height and the lack of a quality third pitch in his arsenal. Those concerns lingered in 2022 and were coupled with a decrease in fastball velocity. To succeed at the major league level Burns will have to regain the velocity he lost in ’22 and continue to work on finding a successful third pitch. Based on Burns’s struggles in developing a playable changeup and his good feel for spin, his best option may be further differentiating his cutter/slider, giving him two distinct weapons.

Tigers ML Report @tigersMLreport

They can’t take this one away from Quincy Nieporte. He pummels this Tanner Burns offering for his 28th home run of the season to give the @erie_seawolves a 3-1 lead.

Intangibles

Burns has a bulldog mentality on the mound and is no stranger to high pressure situations with his background in the SEC as a key starter for Auburn.

Rob Friedman @PitchingNinja

Tanner Burns...with Emotion (102nd pitch...9Ks/6 innings). 🔥

Future

Burns should begin the 2023 season on the cusp of the majors with Triple-A Columbus. Due to the presence of other starting pitching prospects at AAA such as Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, and Tanner Bibee, it will be an uphill battle for Burns to get a shot to start at the MLB level. Barring a substantial increase in velocity or the addition of another plus pitch to his arsenal, it is likely that Burns will be converted to a bullpen or swingman role at some point in the upcoming season.

Role - 40 - Spot Starter/Medium-Leverage RP