Mike Burrows: Up-And-Coming Dynasty Player

Welcome back, readers. And welcome back, baseball!

It’s a glorious weekend as baseball has started, and we can finally watch real games and dive into our fantasy rosters in earnest. Everyone’s drafts or auctions are over, and now it is time to scour the waiver wire or other teams’ rosters to find the hidden gems out there. And there are always hidden gems – some are just harder to find than others.

While last week I featured a not-so-hidden gem in Jac Caglianone, this week’s player may not be one who has grabbed your attention. Well, Mike Burrows should grab your attention.

Let’s find out why.

The Stats

A standout at Waterford HS in Waterford, CT, Mike Burrows was selected in the 11th round by the Pirates and signed for $500,000 back in 2018. But the journey to The Show has not been an easy one for Burrows. In his first full season in 2019, he made 11 starts and had a 4.33 ERA and 1.466 WHIP as he allowed more than a hit per inning and issued more than four walks per nine innings.

After a solid season in 2021 in which he showed vast improvement, he had an up-and-down year in 2022. But the highlights of that season were a 10.6 K/9 rate while posting a 3.0 BB/9 rate. But his path to Pittsburgh hit a wall in 2023 when he underwent Tommy John surgery after only two starts. When he returned in 2024, you can tell he was still trying to find his way back to form on the mound as he posted a 5.26 ERA and 1.539 WHIP across three levels of the minors.

While he got a one-game cup of coffee with Pittsburgh in 2024, he started the 2025 campaign in the minors and had a 2.51 ERA and 1.052 WHIP when the Pirates recalled him in late May.

Solid Rookie Campaign

Overall, Mike Burrows had a solid rookie season with the Pirates. In 23 games (19 starts), he had a 3.94 ERA and 1.240 WHIP with a 9.1 K/9 rate and 2.9 BB/9 rate. Burrows saved his season with an outstanding second half. In his first 10 starts (11 games), he had a 4.67 ERA and 1.463 WHIP with a 4.06 BB/9 rate. But then Burrows got into a groove.

Over his last 13 games, which included 10 starts, he posted a 3.27 ERA and 1.073 WHIP with a 2.29 BB/9 rate while maintaining a 9.0 K/9 rate. In September, he had a 2.60 ERA and 1.096 WHIP.

This past offseason, the Pirates shipped Burrows to Houston as part of a three-team trade with the Rays that landed Pittsburgh Brandon Lowe. With Houston needing to add to its starting rotation with the departure of Framber Valdez, Burrows will slot in as the likely No. 3 starter this year.

The Tools

• 4-Seam Fastball

Houston loves pitchers who have the ability to throw the high fastball, and that is where Mike Burrows attacks – up in the zone. His fastball averaged 95.5 mph last year, and it is the pitch he uses to set up the rest of his repertoire, throwing it 39% of the time (40% vs. lefties, 38% vs. righties) last year.

There was the hiccup of him having trouble getting it past hitters, however, as opponents had a .326 batting average against the pitch. But the xBA was .298, so he ran into a bit of bad luck.

• Change

The change may be Burrows’ best pitch. Fading down and away to left-handed batters, Burrows uses his changeup heavily against lefties, throwing it 34% of the time. Overall, he threw his change 24% of the time last year, and opposing hitters had only a .147 batting average against it with a .220 SLG. The pitch also generated a 43% Whiff%, the best percentage of any of his pitches.

• Slider

Against right-handed hitters, Burrows uses his slider as his main secondary pitch, throwing it 31% of the time. Overall, he threw the slider 20% of the time and had success with it as opposing hitters had only a .203 batting average and .392 SLG against the pitch.

• Curve and Sinker

Burrows will show a curveball and sinker when on the mound, using the curve 12% of the time and showing the sinker 6% of the time. Opposing hitters had success against his curve as they had a .318 average and .500 SLG, but they also had a 33% Whiff% against the pitch. The Astros may have Burrows feature the sinker a little more in Houston than he did in Pittsburgh. The team had Hunter Brown feature the pitch more in 2024 and now it is one of his top pitches against right-handed batters.

The same may come true for Burrows, as it would pair well with the four-seamer up in the zone. Burrows didn’t feature the pitch much last year, but when he did, opposing hitters struggled to the tune of a .263 average and .263 SLG.

The Verdict

The Astros obviously believe in Mike Burrows as they traded away some of their top minor league talent – center fielder Jacob Melton and pitcher Anderson Brito to Tampa Bay – to land him. As mentioned above, he had an excellent second half with the Pirates. And while spring training is not the best of indicators of how the upcoming season will go, Burrows has had an excellent spring.

In 18 innings of work, he had a 1.50 ERA and 1.056 WHIP, allowing only 13 hits and six walks while striking out 17 batters. Burrows will start the second game of the season for Houston and is primed to be a solid fantasy pitcher for your team. Adding him could be a little hard, however. Right now, he is owned in only 42% of Yahoo leagues

Thank You

Thanks for reading, and come back again next week.