St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals 2020 MLB Draft Guide

Tanner Burns, RHP, Auburn

Once again, there is a stud pitcher from Auburn entering the MLB Draft. This time, it’s RHP Tanner Burns. Burns is one of the smaller RHP prospects in this class and that alone could hurt his stock a little bit, standing at only 6’0; which pitchers at that size are starting to become more of a rarity in the MLB.

Though Tanner Burns might be undersized for his position, there is no doubt that he is a stud on the mound. He usually sits at around 93-96 MPH on his fastball and doesn’t have much of a problem locating it. His breaking stuff is above average and has a solid curveball with a slider that usually touches mid-80’s.

The production was there at Auburn throughout his career as well. He took a spot in the Tigers rotation early in his freshman year and cemented himself as one of the best freshman pitchers in the country, garnering numerous Freshman All-American Honors.

Burns had a 2.82 ERA as a sophomore with 102 K’s over 79 innings, and even played a huge role in leading the Auburn Tigers to the College World Series.

He was off to a very hot start as a Junior with a 2.42 ERA as well as leading the team in K’s before the season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, Burns is a very solid pitcher with a high upside that has drawn comps to All-Star Sonny Gray by many scouts. He could be a huge need filler in the Cardinals system and get to the Majors within two years if he plays his cards right.