TrackMan Pitcher of the Week: RHP Parker Burgess

The Illinois commit was a standout all year long. Showing well during the summer with the Toronto Mets, at the Northeast Senior Games, and Canadian Junior National Team camp back in August. What makes it more impressive is that his trackman numbers are just as remarkable.

With Burgess, it all starts with his fastball. It sits top 5% in the country in both velocity (88 mph) and spin rate (2295). Although it doesn’t have an elite movement pattern (13.7 IVB/ 10.9 HB), it sets up his secondary pitches very well. He has one of, if not the best, curveballs in the country. What makes this pitch so good is his ability to spin the baseball. He has the best spin rate in the country on curveballs (2780) and sits top 10% in spin score (37.2). With Burgess’ tilt (6:45) and elite spin rate, he garners an average IVB of -18.6 which also sits tops in the country. 

As aforementioned, Burgess’ fastball sets up his secondary pitches very well. The reason for that is his tilt. The tilt on his fastball is 1:15 which is essentially directly opposite from that of his curveball, 6:45. With his ability to spin the ball, he can have the most optimal movement pattern variance between that of his fastball and curveball (as seen on the graph below). A repertoire such as this will create a lot of WHIFFs on curveballs out of the zone as the fastball will set it up effectively.

Burgess also has a straight changeup in his repertoire. Currently, it’s a pitch to affect a hitter's timing rather than an “out” pitch. It has a very similar shape to his fastball (13.9 IVB/10.9 HB) and an identical tilt (1:00). He tunnels it extremely well off his heater with a release height of 5’4” and release side of 1’5” versus his fastball release height of 5’5” and release side of 1’3”. Although there isn’t an ideal velo drop from his fastball (83 mph), it can still be used in an effective manner.

An option for Burgess going forward could be to develop a changeup that varies from his fastball. One way to accomplish this is to increase HB and/or decrease IVB. If able to maintain a similar arm slot, a changeup that has a different movement pattern with a significant velocity variance should create WHIFFs if set up properly. Having two above average secondary pitches will give him alternatives when looking for strikeouts and keep those hitters off balance.

Uncommitted 2023 Parker Burgess working with a three-pitch mix this evening for Team Red.

The @TorontoMets RHP has picked up several swings and misses on the curveball.

FB 85-88
CB 70-71
CH 79-80#CPBLAllStarWeekend pic.twitter.com/d8c9cR2EN6

— PBR Ontario (@PBR_Ontario) September 24, 2021