The Cincinnati Reds have experienced a slight reduction in outfield depth within their minor league system, as they have released outfielder. At the start of the 2024 season, he was with the Baltimore Orioles organization. However, after spending the first three weeks of the season in Triple-A, the Orioles placed him on waivers, and the Reds subsequently claimed him, sending him to Louisville.
About a month later, he made a brief splash in the Reds’ system. On May 21st, the Batavia, Ohio native, while playing for Louisville, hit an impressive 500-foot home run.
Although it’s “just” Triple-A, the 500-foot home run he hit in May would remain the longest of the 2024 professional baseball season. By contrast, the longest home run in the majors that year was 480 feet. Interestingly, that long blast came off the Reds’ own Jakob Junis, who gave up the dinger to Jesus Sanchez of the Miami Marlins during a game in August. That outing marked Junis’ Reds debut, but it was a rough one—he surrendered three runs on six hits in just 1.2 innings. Despite Junis’ struggles, Cincinnati won the game 10-3.
About six weeks after hitting the longest home run of the year, he was placed on waivers by the Reds, and he went unclaimed. Cincinnati then outrighted him to Triple-A. A couple of weeks later, he was placed on the injured list and did not return to action for the remainder of the season.
Though Burdick showed considerable power potential, his overall performance was underwhelming. In 47 games for Louisville, he posted a line of .189/.291/.341, with 80 strikeouts in 189 plate appearances. His numbers were similarly unimpressive in 16 games with Triple-A Norfolk earlier in the year when he was still part of the Orioles organization.
A 2019 third-round pick by the Marlins out of Wright State, Burdick had stints in the majors with Miami in 2022 and 2023, playing 46 games and hitting five home runs. However, he did not make it back to the big leagues in 2024 with either the Orioles or the Reds.
Releasing a player in December is not unheard of but is somewhat uncommon. Typically, a December release indicates the player has received an overseas opportunity or has been granted a release to explore other options. While a quick search hasn’t uncovered any reports of Burdick heading abroad, it remains a possibility. Regardless, Burdick is no longer with the Reds and will now be looking for new opportunities.
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