Various online reports have stated that Potomac OF Mike Burgess has been promoted to AA Harrisburg. This is not unexpected, as the deadline for the Arizona Fall League is tomorrow and the 21-year-old has been considered a candidate for this year’s AFL class.
Burgess began the year slowly, then heated up in May (.313/.394/.509) before cooling off in June (.183/.280/.312). Much of July was lost to bereavement leave after a death in his family.
Strikeouts are still very much a problem for Burgess, but his struggles to hit lefties appear to be behind him. This year, he has hit them to the tune of .281 (.256 for RHPs) whereas last year he hit .221, and his slugging percentage, down from last year, is dead-even with .430 against both. His arm remains one of the best in the system and the 15 lbs or so he lost in the offseason has been noticed in the field with better range and more balls in the gap being run down and/or caught.
UPDATE: MASN’s Ben Goessling has gone to virtual ink with the story.