Burns A Hidden Gem For Brewers
Date Posted: 5/21/2009

by Howie Magner, Milwaukee Magazine

The Milwaukee Brewers have unearthed a hidden gem of a pitcher. But they may never get to use him.

Mike Burns, an off-the-radar offseason Triple-A free-agent signing, has turned into an ace for the Nashville Sounds. He improved to 6-0 with a 2.15 ERA on Sunday, and looks like an attractive big-league callup should the Brewers need reinforcements from the minors. But as well as he's pitching, even Burns admits he's a longshot to put on a Brewers uniform this season. "Realistically, as far as me getting a shot, something would have to go wrong," Burns says. As in a slew of pitching-related injuries in the organization.

See, Burns isn't on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, so even if the Brewers wanted to bring him up, they'd have to cut somebody to make room for him. Meanwhile, other Triple-A pitchers (like Tim Dillard, Chase Wright and Nick Green) happen to be pitching well and also happen to be on the 40-man, so it's much easier for the Brewers to promote them.

"I'd love to get up there and that's the whole goal," Burns says. "But it's a numbers thing."

So Burns, most likely, will continue toiling in Nashville, a 30-year-old who's pitched in five organizations, but hasn't run out of big-league dreams. Part of the reason: a wife and a new child. "I'm playing a little bit more for people other than just myself."

Burns has enjoyed something of a bulldog reputation during his 10-year career, most of it spent in the minors. Never pegged as a pitcher with great stuff, he's nonetheless posted a career ERA of 3.66 in nearly 1,000 minor-league innings. He had brief big-league stints in 2005 and 2006 with Houston, Cincinnati and Boston, posting a combined ERA of 5.88. But those clubs used him exclusively as a reliever, and his best success has come as a starter.

Case in point: his 2002 season for the Midwest League's Michigan Battle Cats, when he won 14 games with a 2.49 ERA in 181 innings. It was the best season by a starting pitcher in that club's history, beating out a couple of better-known former Battle Cats. Perhaps you've heard of Roy Oswalt and Johan Santana? Now Burns is putting together another great season. And he's also hoping that someone not only notices it, but can actually make use of it. He's not only auditioning for the Brewers, but also other major league clubs or even a team in Japan.

"You never know," Burns says. "My goal right now is to pitch as best as I can. All you can do is control what you do out on the mound."