Ad Disclosure
Chase Burns signs with Cincinnati Reds; bonus breaks Paul Skenes’ record
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Chase Burns is getting paid handsomely to end his college career and play professionally.
Burns, who pitched for Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest, is reportedly getting a larger bonus than Paul Skenes, the former LSU standout who pitched this week in the All-Star Game representing the Pittsburgh Pirates in his rookie season.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports that Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has landed a $9.25 million signing bonus from the Cincinnati Reds. Skenes, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, signed a $9.2 million signing bonus. McDaniel notes that the new mark could be short lived depending on bonuses for Travis Bazzana (No. 1 overall pick from Oregon State) and Charlie Condon (No. 3 overall pick from Georgia).
Many collegiate superstars turn professional following their junior seasons as they have the most leverage in contract negotiations with the option to return for a senior season. Burns played his first two seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest.
Burns was nationally recognized as one of the sport’s top freshmen in 2022. In 17 appearances (14 starts), he pitched 80.1 innings, allowing 26 earned runs for an ERA of 2.91. Posting an 8-2 record, Burns maintained an opponents’ batting average of .216 while posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 103-25.
As a sophomore, Burns was 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA as a starter. He moved to the bullpen and turned things around. Burns finished 2023 with a 4.25 ERA. He remained one of the top strikeout pitchers, posting a K-BB ratio of 114-22 over 72 IP.
For his junior season, Burns transferred to Wake Forest. He got his groove back as a starting pitcher.
Burns had a phenomenal final collegiate season. He posted the best numbers of his career in ERA (2.70), innings pitched (100) and strikeouts (191, Wake Forest record) as a 16-game starter. He was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year and a first-team All-American by D1 Baseball, Perfect Game, Baseball America, ABCA, and NCBWA.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
