Dan Wilson Describes 'Cool' Moment For Young Seattle Mariners Pitcher
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The Seattle Mariners bullpen has been one of the most volatile units on the team this season, and several relievers have found themselves getting a shot in the major league as a result.
The most recent bullpen arm to get a shot with the roster has been Juan Burgos, a right-handed rookie who made his major league debut this season.
The Mariners signed Burgos as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic on April 15, 2019, and he's jumped three levels this season.
Burgos began this year with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers and was promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on June 24 after 21 appearances with the Double-A squad. After one outing with Tacoma, Seattle selected his contract June 28. He had a 0.62 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 29 innings across 22 outings in the minors.
Burgos has been used sparingly this season and exclusively in low-leverage situation. Entering Thursday, he has a 2.45 ERA with four strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched in two appearances. His last outing was a 10-3 Mariners loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. It wasn't a good night for a team, but it was an impressive showing for Burgos. He fanned two in 1.2 innings and allowed one batter to reach base safely via a hit.
"Juan Burgos, welcome to The Show!"
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 2, 2025
The @Mariners reliever -- who posted an 0.62 ERA across two Minor League levels this year -- picks up his first MLB strikeout. pic.twitter.com/LTYOZEM6am
Burgos' last batter faced against the Yankees was against defending American League MVP, and this year's MVP favorite, Aaron Judge. Burgos struck out Judge looking on three pitches. He used curveball, cutter and closed out the at-bat with a sweeper.
"(Burgos) with obviously, not a lot of experience under his belt," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said before a game against New York on Wednesday. "Coming into Yankee Stadium and wanting to keep the ball on the ground, and he did. I thought he threw the ball well again. Just focused on what he does well and threw some good sinkers and able to get Judge there at the end I thought was a pretty cool moment for him. What we've seen from (Burgos) has been pretty good. He has shown similar poise out there where he just stays with who he is and doesn't try to do too much in the moment. Has thrown the ball well."
The Mariners are still trying to find a place for Burgos in the 'pen, which has been difficult given the hierarchy of the team's high-leverage arms (Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz). There's also a chance Burgos will head back to Triple-A once Collin Snider is cleared to be activated from the injured list. But Burgos has shown decent stuff in his limited action in the majors, and there could be a role for him in the future if he continues to impress.
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