Billy Burns: Time to Pump the Breaks?
By Jason Burke
Sep 24, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics pinch runner Billy Burns (19) steals second base against Los Angeles Angels shortstop Gordon Beckham (18) during the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
I was sifting through some player evaluations recently, and one caught my eye: that of Billy Burns. The speedster made his debut in Oakland in 2014, to much fanfare, and was used primarily for his base stealing prowess. He appeared in 13 games, but only collected six at-bats. Burns went 1-for-6 in those appearances at the plate, and stole three bases on four attempts as a pinch-runner.
Why so few at-bats if Burns was up in Oakland for the better part of a month? That’s where the evaluation comes in to play. According MLB Pipeline, “Burns’ style leaves him with next to no power, and some scouts wonder if pitchers will be able to overwhelm him at the big league level.”
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They continue, “His speed allows him to cover lots of ground in center field, though he lacks some defensive polish. The Nats often deployed Burns in left field. Burns lacks arm strength, but he tries to make up for it by getting to balls quickly.”
That is the bad news. The good part said that Billy Burns, “has the potential to become Oakland’s most dynamic basestealing threat since Rickey Henderson.”
I’m sure a little one-on-one time with Rickey won’t hurt those odds, either.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m pulling for Billy Burns. He is a dynamic player to watch, and that is definitely something that the Athletics have been missing at times in recent memory. Yet, if he is unable to get on base of his own accord, then he is relegated to pinch-runnning duties, and that doesn’t quite fit with how the A’s have been doing business.
That said, we could be due for another change in philosophy from Billy Beane and company. They’ve tried building through the farm system, trading the farm for talent and trading talent for talent, but have not yet tried small ball. With the roster shaped the way it is, it’s unlikely that a change so drastic will come about for 2015.
This leaves Bob Melvin and the A’s with a big question regarding Billy Burns: do they keep him in Oakland and have him steal bases late in games, and try to grab a few extra victories that way, or, do they start him in Triple-A Nashville (the new A’s affiliate) to work on his approach at the plate to become a better major-leaguer?
For my money, I could see the A’s starting Billy Burns in the minors and getting him some time in Nashville, before bringing up The Flash around June. This would allow Burns to work on some things in the minors, and get a fair shake in Triple-A, where he only played in 28 games (compared to 91 in Double-A Midland).
Burns hit just .193 in Triple-A in 2014, so a little more exposure there could help his development into a well-rounded major-leaguer. Either way, his speed will land him in Oakland sooner rather than later.