Twins Claim RHP Beau Burrows off Waivers

No, the name above isn’t former Heisman winner Joe Borrow. It’s Fort Worth, TX native and former Detroit first-round pick Beau Burrows. 

After a grueling stretch of games, the Twins added a promising arm to the bullpen, claiming Burrows off waivers from the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon. Burrows will report to Triple-A Saint Paul. The Saints will begin a six-game series against the Clippers in Columbus tonight.

The 6’2 right-hander was drafted out of high school in the first round (pick 22) of the 2015 Amateur Draft by the Tigers. He spent 2015-2019 dancing between Rookie Ball and AAA for the Tigers organization. His best season came in 2017 when he posted a 10-7 record with a 3.20 ERA in 26 games between High-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie.

Burrows got his shot at the big leagues in 2020, pitching 6 2/3 innings of relief in five games for Detroit. In that span, he recorded a 5.40 ERA with eight hits and four earned runs. 

The Weatherford High School graduate has only pitched once for the Tigers this season, surrendering four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings on June 22 against the White Sox. Burrows was perfect for the first inning of his appearance but left the game in the middle of his second inning on the mound due to illness.

And while he appears to be healthy now, Burrows has struggled to find consistency in the past thanks to injuries, particularly in 2019. Burrows missed a month and a half early that season due to shoulder inflammation. After returning to the bump he was later shut down in August due to a left oblique strain. 

Burrows' pitch arsenal consists primarily of a four-seam fastball (66%), slider (20%), and changeup (14%). His fastball has averaged at 94.5 MPH so far this season with hitters recording a .200 batting average against it. Burrows also has a curveball and sinker, yet hasn’t thrown either pitch so far this season.

While the sample size is small it’s clear that Burrows has some untapped talent and just hasn’t gotten into a rhythm yet. Hopefully, that will change in the Twins organization. Welcome to Minnesota, Beau!

The addition of Burrows puts the Twins back at 40 players on their 40-man roster.