Not to brag, but I called it at the beginning of the season when the A’s were coming out of spring training and Billy Burns was sporting a .338 batting average with 31 hits. I said with the Crisp injury, it was his chance to shine. Well, he’s shined so well, my call now is to look for Burns to be named the 2015 Rookie of the Year, contributing to the Oakland Athletics’ legacy with that award.
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Burns, who was acquired from the Nationals in the Jerry Blevins trade, was brought up in 2014 for a mere six plate appearances and a few pinch-running spots at the end of the season. He appeared to be headed for an everyday position in the A’s outfield in 2015, until he was sent down to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Coco Crisp.
However, in 13 games and 45 at bats, Crisp was only able to muster two hits. He seems headed for Wally Pipp status as Burns, who was recalled in early May, now outperforms the team as a whole, with a .315 average and .782 OPS.
The switch-hitting Burns has served as the leadoff batter in 30 of the A’s last 31 games, and he has reached base in 28 of those matches. Burns is also aggressive, frequently swinging at the first pitch. He is 12-for-23 with two home runs when putting the first pitch in play. He not only slaps at pitches, but can turn on them, too, and he has shown power at times.
Burns is arguably one of the fastest – if not THE fastest – players in baseball right now, with several benefits coming from his fleetness of foot. In addition to being 13-for-16 on stolen base attempts, Burns’ speed, especially from the left side of the box, allows him to be a threat with any groundball that is hit. Also, since speed isn’t typically an area where players can go into slump, Burns can be counted on to be the Athletics’ center fielder of the future with his ability to get to balls and track them down. He can read the ball well and is able to get a good jump on it in order to make a play.
Over the last week A’s fans have seen a plethora of diving, leaping and running catches made by the 25-year-old outfielder.
Jun 16, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Billy Burns (1) catches a hit by San Diego Padres left fielder Justin Upton (not pictured) during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Burns’ competition for Rookie of the Year appears to lie with the highly-touted Tampa Bay right fielder Steven Souza Jr., who has had more plate appearances this season but also has a meager .222 batting average. He’s had some questionable play in the field, making him a non-contender at this point.
Blue Jays reliever Roberto Osuna has been as steady as they come in his 28 appearances, posting a 2.05 ERA with 32 strikeouts and nine walks in 30.2 innings. Among AL rookies, he may be good enough to come in second in the voting.
Mariner reliever Carson Smith is shining in Seattle (especially with some poor outings by Fernando Rodney) and is tearing through the opposition with a 1.65 ERA. He also has 33 strikeouts and only five walks in 27.1 innings. He’s the guy who ranks ahead of Osuna in ERA, and by a significant margin at that, but he has been faltering as of late.
Twins rookie pitcher Trevor May has a 4.26 ERA, which may not do justice to just how good May has looked at times. That said, his 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.7 walks per nine innings are not comparable to Burns’ offensive stats.
Despite the Athletics’ slow start and bullpen blunders that have taken the team out of the national spotlight, Billy Burns should go unnoticed by the baseball award selectors.