Mariners of the Future: 2017 MLB Draft Prospect Jake Burger

While the Seattle Mariners season has just begun, the college baseball season is in full bloom. As the Mariners amateur scouts are hard at work, they will likely spend some time in Springfield, Missouri at Missouri State University.

MSU is home to one of the premier power bats in the 2017 MLB Draft.

Jake Burger, a 6’2″, 220 lb third baseman, has gone from an unknown high school bat to a potential first rounder in just 2 1/2 years.

After a solid freshman campaign, Burger exploded in 2016, slashing.349/.420/.689 with 21 home runs and 72 RBI’s.

Burger has managed to improve on his gaudy 2016 numbers this year. In his first 28 games, Burger is slashing .385/.478/.761 with 11 homers in 108 at-bats and still has half a year left to go. What Burger is not, is a home run or bust type of player.

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He had a 10% walk rate last year and is hovering around 15% this year.

Defensively, Burger is not graceful at the hot corner. However, he does possess an above-average arm, and will not kill his team at third. His future might be across the diamond at first base, or perhaps in right field.

As one might expect, he is not a base stealing threat. However; he grades out as just a slightly below average runner. While not a threat to take the extra base, he will not clog the bases, forcing his teammates to go from station to station.

Seattle Mariners GM, Jerry Dipoto, prefers the college bat to the high school bat, and Burger’s ability to control the zone has to have the interest of the scouting department.

Grades(20-80)- Bat:55 Power:60 Run:45 Field:50 Arm:55

Next: What We Learned

While we are not certain of where Burger will ultimately play, it does not matter at this moment. Burger’s overall future potential is connected directly to his bat.