Brock Burke

After receiving six starts down the stretch as a 22-year-old in 2019, Burke was expected to compete for a spot in the Rangers' 2020 rotation but with his likely destination being Triple-A Nashville, where he only worked eight innings prior to his promotion to the major leagues. In January, Burke felt soreness in the same shoulder that bothered him at the end of the 2019 campaign, requiring left shoulder debridement surgery on his labrum in late February. With an estimated 12-month recovery, Burke's availability for the beginning of spring training is in question, virtually assuring he'll start the campaign in the minors. The southpaw was already on a back-of-the-rotation, innings-eater career trajectory, and now he has the added burden of recovering from shoulder surgery. The Rangers' new venue is seemingly a good place to pitch, but chances are it'll be a while before Burke experiences it first-hand.

Burke debuted in late August and remained in the big leagues for six starts despite not having much success, struggling to a 7.43 ERA and a 14:11 K:BB in 26.2 innings. He was good but not dominant in 13 minor-league starts, posting a 3.90 ERA and a 24.6% strikeout rate. Shoulder woes held him back throughout the season and ended his year early, though he's not expected to undergo surgery. Still, those issues add further risk to a player who has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. Burke hay have to prove himself at the Triple-A level, where he's made just two starts, before he gets his next big-league shot. If Burke eventually locks up a rotation spot, he projects as more of a back-end starter, with fringy control of a decent repertoire. The combination of moderate upside and risk from both injury and a lack of track record means Burke isn't very exciting yet in most redraft formats.

Burke kicked it into a new gear after advancing to the Double-A level last season, posting 1.95 ERA and 25.8 K-BB% over 55.1 innings for the Rays' Montgomery affiliate. His previous career high in K-BB% was 17.3. The lefty's prior success stemmed in large part from a lot of weak contact in the air -- his infield-flyball rates have ranged from 17.4% to a preposterous 36.8%. His opponents' hit rate last season was probably lower than it should have been considering a healthy 22.1% line-drive rate, and he was rather fortunate with his HR/FB, which sat at just 3.6%. Regardless, the Rangers' scouts saw enough to view Burke as a quality piece in the return for Jurickson Profar. With Texas, Burke will be given a long leash to improve his changeup and command. If the change never comes along, Burke call fall back on his plus fastball and plus slider as a high-leverage reliever.