Alec
Burleson

04.26.17
Strong build with a thick frame that has seemed to add some quickness since the fall.  Hammered a 86mph fastball, left vs. left, over right field for a home run.  Hands worked with quickness, showing feel for the bat head.  Found the barrel in the first two at-bats off the left handed pitcher showing comfort in the scenario.  Competed with two strikes.  Tends to stay toward the pull side, wanting extension.

2020 DRAFT: One of the top two-way talents in the country, Burleson stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds. He's an old school baseball player who simply knows how to play the game. Throughout his college career and his time with the USA CNT last summer he has split his time between first base, outfield and the mound. The left handed hitter shows a natural feel to hit with strength in his swing and above average bat speed. With a line drive swing he consistently puts the ball in play, currently producing more gap power than over the fence. However, he does have the ingredients to go up top more often in the future. Hitting the ball a bit more out front when his swing path is on the upswing may allow him to get to the above-average raw power that he shows in BP. Defensively, Burleson shows a strong arm, sure hands and projects to be above average at first base. On the mound, the southpaw repeats a simple, balanced delivery and delivers the ball from a high three-quarters slot. His fastball ranges 86-90 mph with some cut when thrown to his gloveside. He will also show a tight 82 mph slider, a 75 mph curveball and his go-to pitch, an 81 mph above average changeup. He's a strike-pumper with a four-pitch mix, walking just four in 23.1 IP during the cancelled 2020 season. With a .370 batting average, 23 doubles and nine home runs during his sophomore season, and a strong start in 2020 with a .375 batting average and three home runs in 17 games, Burleson is more of a pro prospect in the batter's box than on the mound. He will likely be selected around the fifth round.

7/1/19: Two-way talent who pitched two innings and also playing three games in right field during the Trials. Showed strength to his swing with bat speed and the ability to put the ball in play, but didn’t square anything up. Went 2-for-12 at the plate with a pair of walks and just one strikeout. Defensively, he's a versatile defender who also played a lot of first base for ECU this past spring, but was up and down at the Trials. Tracked down a hard liner, making a running grab one day. The next day misplayed a routine fly ball into a triple. Also showed an above arm from the outfield. One of the top two-way talents in the country, Burleson stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds. During the CNT trials he has split his time between first base, outfield and the mound. On the bump he repeats a simple, balanced delivery and delivers the ball from a high three-quarters slot. His fastball ranged from 86-89 mph with some cut when thrown to his gloveside. On this look he also showed a tight 82 mph slider, a 75 mph curveball and his go to pitch, an 81 mph above average changeup. Pumping strikes with his four pitch mix he faced the minimum number of batters during his two innings pitched. He allowed no runs on one hit with one strikeout. With a .370 batting average, 23 doubles and nine home runs during his sophomore season, Burleson can be considered more of a prospect in the batter’s box than on the mound. But one thing is certain, he is an old school baseball player who simply knows how to play the game. With only 24 spots on the roster, Burleson’s versatility could provide the CNT with both a bat off the bench and a left-handed bullpen arm for their upcoming series against Cuba, Chinese Taipei and Japan. (Seifert)

7/20/18: East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin predicted last fall that freshman Alec Burleson would be a big star for the Pirates. The two-way talent put together a very solid freshman spring, going 5-2, 3.33 off the mound and hitting .252/.325/.282 in 103 at-bats. But he’s really come into his own this summer for the Ripken League’s Bethesda Big Train. Burleson leads the league in home runs (nine) and RBIs (39) while ranking second in batting (.412) and doubles (12). He has more walks (12) than strikeouts (seven). And he’s been utterly dominant off the mound, going 3-1, 0.34 with a 23-4 K-BB mark in 26.1 innings over five outings (four starts). Burleson has a strong, physically mature frame at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds. He has good feel for his barrel from the left side, and he stands out for his pitch recognition and control of the strike zone. He went 2-for-4 against the Florida League on Tuesday, showing the ability to drive the ball to the pull side. He hit a crisp single on a 90 mph fastball from Louis Davenport, then turned on a left-on-left fastball for a ringing double off the right-field wall. He’s a decent athlete but lacks foot speed and is likely limited to first base long term, but he’s a good defender at the position and could hit for enough power and average to make an impact there. Off the mound, Burleson repeats his easy delivery well, and the ball jumps out of his hand from a high slot. His 86-88 fastball plays up because of its riding life, and he has advanced feel for a 77-78 changeup with very good arm speed, deception and fade. He is comfortable throwing the change against lefties as well as righties, and it projects as an above-average pitch. He also can throw his quality 74-77 curveball for a strike or a chase; it has solid depth and 12-to-6 shape, and it projects as an average offering in pro ball. The key for Burleson to have a pro future on the mound is to add more velocity, but he’s certainly good enough right now to dominate at the Division I level. He could make the leap to All-America status as a sophomore. (Aaron Fitt)