Blake Burkhalter Scouting Report, Draft Projection, MLB Draft preview

Auburn RHP Blake Burkhalter's MLB Draft preview, scouting report, and projection.

Now that the college baseball season has ended, all eyes turn to the MLB Draft. MLB is unique in that both high schoolers and certain college players are eligible, so the draft impacts both recruiting and roster construction. College players who have completed three seasons of college ball OR are 21 on draft day are eligible and have until 5PM EST on August 1st to reach agreements with their drafting teams or return to college for their senior seasons. Moreso than the other major sports, money is the ultimate deciding factor in the MLB Draft. Top 100 talents out of high school may fall to late rounds or go undrafted entirely based on expected bonus demands, and draft-eligible college seniors frequently receive smaller signing bonuses due to the lack of negotiating leverage they possess once exhausting their college eligibility. 

Let's look at Auburn RHP Blake Burkhalter's status entering the MLB Draft. 

Season recap

Photo credit: Matthew Shannon/Auburn Athletics

A strong-armed junior from Dothan, AL, Burkhalter broke out in a big way in 2022 with an SEC-leading 16 saves thanks to improved control and a new cutter that he learned from pitching coach Tim Hudson. He used the new pitch mix to great effect, finishing 25 games for Auburn and becoming the first Auburn pitcher to record three saves in a weekend (versus South Carolina, April 22nd-24th). Seventeen of his thirty outings were more than one inning, including 2.2 innings against Oregon State with no hits and five strikeouts to clinch the Super Regional and send Auburn to Omaha and 2.2 innings against Stanford in Omaha with only one hit, no runs, and five strikeouts to seal the win. Burkhalter, a Second Team All-American by the ABCA and the College Baseball Foundation, has two years of eligibility remaining (senior year + COVID year) but is expected to enter the MLB Draft. 

Statline:

4-2 w/ 3.69 ERA & .91 WHIP. 46.1 innings pitched across 30 appearances, with 16 saves recorded. 71 strikeouts to 7 walks, opposing batting average allowed of .206.

MLB Scouting Report: 

“Physical, drop-and-drive RHP. Effectively works the knees with the FB, sits 92-95 & can touch 98. Excellent job at disguising cutter and changeup from the same arm slot with aggressive action, inducing poor swings. Tends to stay away for the most part, spots up. Rarely makes multiple mistakes in the same bat, so you must be prepared to take advantage of that one pitch. Gave up 9 HRs to fastballs at the belt.”

Draft Preview: 

Burkhalter is more than likely a reliever at the next level, and fits late in Day two or early in Day three. Profiles as a high-leverage reliever and would be an ideal set-up man at the MLB level. He was invited to MLB’s Draft Combine, but was unable to attend due to team obligations at the College World Series in Omaha.

• The Athletic: > 100
• Baseball America: 389
• Prospects Live: 188
• MLB.com: 207

Pros: Cutter is plus and is effective against both LH and RH hitters. FB has good carry and armside run. Changeup is potentially plus, with fade and sink. Pounds the zone with strikes, flashing above-average control (55).

Cons: Smaller stature with some effort to his delivery; no history of starting in college. Questionable if there’s any more notable physical development left to project. 

Projection: 

Late on day two or early on day three, with the potential to go earlier if a team becomes enamored with the outcomes versus the process. Bonus of 85-105% of slot value. 

Auburn baseball scouting reports:

Auburn 1B Sonny DiChiara

Auburn P Trace Bright

Auburn RHP Blake Burkhalter

Auburn RHP Mason Barnett

Auburn LHP Hayden Mullins

Auburn LHP Carson Skipper

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