Jake Burger tripped before he tripled.
The 25-year-old 2014 CBC graduate and White Sox infielder was thinking of a double as he rounded first base. But when Detroit outfielder Robbie Grossman’s dive didn't stop the ball, Burger decided to keep barreling forward even after he wobbled around second.
Burger, a Chesterfield native and 2017 first-round draft pick (No. 11) out of Missouri State, had four hits in his first 11 major-league at-bats entering Monday night’s game against Minnesota.
The most surprising was his two-out triple in the sixth inning of Sunday’s 6-5 loss to Detroit.
“If you would have told me I was going to hit a triple before a home run, I would have called you crazy,” Burger said in the pos-game Zoom conference, grinning beneath thick smears of eye black.
Batting eighth in White Sox manager Tony La Russa’s lineup, Burger smacked a 98 mph sinker from Kyle Funkhouser to right field to spoil a 2-2 count and took off as fast as his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame could carry him. While he has improved his defensive versatility during his time in a White Sox organization making waves for its player development, he would agree he's not exactly known for his speed.
“I turned second and was like, 'OK, I got three here,'” Burger said. “But the bases are, like, way smaller than in Triple-A, because they made that rule change. When I hit second base I almost stumbled a bit.”
Today in history: July 5
Burger made it to third base safely. He popped up with a big grin on his grill. The triple is a pretty good metaphor for his baseball journey. If anyone knows how to recover from a setback, it’s Burger.
He has overcome not one but two tears of his left Achilles tendon. A bruised heel ruined his 2019 season. The lack of a 2020 minor-league season because of the coronavirus pandemic forced him to pivot to playing for the Normal Cornbelters of the Collegiate League in O'Fallon, Mo.
He has been candid about his battles with depression and anxiety as his body continued to betray him. Yet here he is, helping the AL-Central leading White Sox before finishing his first full non-injury shortened season in pro ball.
“When we entered the season, the fact he was able to play at a competitive level and earn an initial shot at Charlotte (Class-AAA) was a heck of an accomplishment,” White Sox general manager Rick Han said after Burger was promoted. “For him to perform the way he has there to the point his coaches, farm director, scouts and others are saying, 'This is a guy who can help a team with championship aspirations,' and as quickly as that has occurred, it is well beyond the schedule that even our most-optimistic projections had Jake contributing.”
Burger was averaging .322 with a .368 on-base percentage and a .596 slugging percentage with 15 doubles and 10 home runs 36 RBIs in 42 Class-AAA games. He had proven to evaluators he can hold his own at second base as well as third. His play in Charlotte earned him an invitation to join the American League side in the Futures Game during upcoming All-Star festivities in Denver.
Meanwhile, slumping White Sox designated hitter Yermin Mercedes’ downward spiral at the plate showed few signs of evening out, and starting third baseman Yoan Moncada was dealing with a bruised hand caused by a headfirst slide. A swap was made. Mercedes was sent out to reboot in Charlotte. Burger was thrown into the fire to see if he can sizzle.
“Futures Game would have been cool, but this is cooler,” Burger said.
His family hopped in a rental car and made the drive from St. Louis to Detroit for his debut. What comes next is uncertain. La Russa has praised Burger’s early success, but Moncada’s hand is feeling better. Moncada, the regular starter, was back at third base Monday. That moved Burger to the bench.
“He looks really confident at third base,” La Russa said about Burger. “He doesn’t rush the plays. Takes his time. Plenty of arm, and it’s accurate. I’m really encouraged, because in this league the pitchers will beat you to two strikes a lot, and two of his hits have been a base hit and a triple with two strikes. That’s a lot of production for a guy who is just settling in. I think he’s as advertised, a really good prospect who is very close to helping us.”
Whatever happens next, Burger’s story is one to celebrate. It could have been over. Instead it's just getting good.
“It’s really quite an accomplishment for him to merely be playing, much less be playing at a highly competitive level,” Hahn said. “But this is a good story really for so many reasons beyond that. He is here not because he’s a good story or not because he’s worked so hard and has had so much success — he’s here because we feel he can help a team that is competing for a championship right now.”
