2025 South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 73: Jacob Burke
Two big issues plague this once-rising talent: Health and hitting
Jacob Burke
Center Fielder
6´1´´
208 pounds
Age: 24
2023 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 53
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 15
2024 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.7 years
SSS rank among all center fielders in the system 4
Overall 2024 season stats 76 games ⚾️ 0 HR ⚾️ 18 RBI ⚾️ .188/.282/.221 ⚾️ 24-of-26 (92.3%) SB ⚾️ 26 BB ⚾️ 67 K
With pick No. 341 in the 2022 MLB draft, the White Sox added center fielder Jacob Burke from the University of Miami.
Burke was a fourth-year junior. The center fielder transferred from Southeast Louisiana to Miami for his junior year, and he had a phenomenal one with the Hurricanes. The righthander slashed .347/.425/.599 for a 1.024 OPS, while mostly holding down center (with some time in the corners as well) for a top college program.
For his efforts, he was named the program’s Rookie of the Year.
In a small sample of games during his pro debut last summer, Burke impressed. Playing older than rookie level, he tore up the ACL, then settled in to finish the season with Kannapolis, at league-average age. He was as advertised — which, frankly, was a steal of a skill set in Round 11.
However, in his first two full seasons as a pro (2023 and 2024), Burke has struggled to stay on the field, averaging low-80s games rather than the expected 120-plus for any player. And while he’s regarded as an ace, daredevil fielder in center and has stolen bases at an extraordinary 91% rate over his two full years in the system, whatever hit tool Burke brought to the Sox are started to evolve in 2023 disappeared last summer. There’s no power at all, and a BABIP drop from .379 in 2023 to .266 in 2024 doesn’t fully explain a slash line to lay down and avoid (.188/.282/.221, yikes!).
The impressive news is that Burke has so dominated his peers prior to 2024 that his Ratings comps still rank him above-average in every offensive aspect of the game:
Burke’s Baseball Cube player ratings
Speed 81 (+1 from two seasons ago)
Durability 74 (-6)
Hitting 66 (-8)
Power 63 (-15)
RBIs 58 (-18)
XBH 58 (-13)
Runs 57 (-4)
Contact 57 (-5)
Average 64.25 (-8.50)
Fingers crossed, in a sense, that the injuries that plagued Burke for the entire second half of the season somehow played a bigger role in stifling any comeback he could mount in 2024 (or, given how badly he hit even when playing every day, perhaps there was a season-long battle for health). Otherwise, a player who could have been considered the best outfield prospect in the system just a year ago is on the verge of hitting a hard ceiling at Double-A.
2025 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
100. Cole McConnell, CF
99. Drake Logan, LF
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
92. Eddie Park, CF
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
89. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
88. Pierce George, RHRP
87. Wes Kath, 3B
86. Daniel González, LHRP
85. Mikey Kane, 1B
84. Shane Murphy, LHSP
83. Connor McCullough, RHSP
82. Braden Shewmake, SS
81. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
80. Michael Turner, C
79. Drew McDaniel, RHSP
78. Jurdrick Profar, SS
77. Reudis Diaz, RHSP
76. Phil Fox, RHRP
75. Terrell Tatum, CF
74. Calvin Harris, C
73. Jacob Burke, CF