wake forest star signs record MLB draft signing bonus

Chase Burns, a former Wake Forest pitcher, received a historic draft signing bonus of $9.25 million from the Cincinnati Reds, as reported by MLB.com’s senior writer and draft analyst Jim Callis.

Selected as the No. 2 overall pick by the Reds in the first round of the MLB draft on Sunday, Burns signed for slightly less than the slot value of $9,785,000. However, his $9.25 million bonus set a new all-time record, surpassing the $8.95 million bonus received by the No. 1 overall pick, Travis Bazzana, from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Originally from the Nashville area, Burns played for the Vols in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Wake Forest for his final collegiate season in 2024.

Standing tall at 6-foot-3 and weighing 210 pounds, Burns was a standout athlete at Beech High School in Murfreesboro. Many were surprised that he even made it to college given his talent. Concerns surrounding his demands for a signing bonus caused him to drop towards the end of the 2021 draft. Nonetheless, he quickly established himself as a key player for the Tennessee team during his freshman year in 2022.

In his freshman season, Burns appeared in 17 games and started 14, concluding with an 8-2 record, a 2.91 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP. While he faced challenges early in his sophomore year, he thrived in a relief role and played a pivotal part in Tennessee reaching the College World Series in 2023.

Despite ending the season with a 5-3 record and a 4.63 ERA, his impact during crucial moments was significant. Notably, in the College World Series game against Stanford, Burns delivered a standout performance coming out of the bullpen, striking out nine batters in six scoreless innings to help secure Tennessee’s victory in the elimination game.

This remarkable feat made him the first relief pitcher since 1997 to pitch six or more scoreless innings in a CWS game. Additionally, in the Hattiesburg Super Regional against Southern Miss, he impressed with 2.2 innings of strong pitching, contributing to the Vols’ qualification for the CWS. Preceding this, in the Clemson Regional, he yielded just one run in 6.1 innings of relief pitching in a crucial win against Clemson.

Despite the considerable positive impact that Burns’ transition to the bullpen had on both him and the Tennessee team, it was evident to those closely associated with the program that he was not entirely happy with the change. It was highly likely that Burns would have returned to the starting rotation for the 2024 season. However, due to strained relationships, the talented right-hander decided to enter the transfer portal and ultimately chose to play for Wake Forest.

During his stint with the Demon Deacons, Burns had a successful season on an individual level. He maintained his reputation as one of the most dominant pitchers in college baseball, boasting a remarkable 10-1 record with a 2.88 ERA over a career-high 100 innings. Unfortunately, Wake Forest faced challenges as a team, failing to meet expectations as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, particularly struggling in games where Burns did not pitch and getting eliminated in the Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nevertheless, Burns’ standing as a top prospect remained unscathed, concluding his college career with an impressive 408 strikeouts in 252.1 innings. As expected, he entered the draft knowing he would be among the first players selected.

Tennessee had to adjust its pitching strategy significantly, especially after ace AJ Russell suffered an early-season injury and was eventually ruled out. Despite this setback, the Vols managed to excel, ranking near the top nationally in ERA and clinching both the SEC championship, SEC Tournament championship, and the national championship.

In the recent draft, eight current Tennessee players were chosen, and another player, Zander Sechrist (Minnesota Twins), swiftly signed with a team post-draft. Additionally, several Tennessee recruits were selected, with hopes that some will still opt to join the collegiate team. Regardless, Tennessee remains optimistic about retaining a highly talented incoming class for the upcoming season.