A.J. Burnett
From BR Bullpen
Allan James Burnett
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 5", Weight 205 lb.
- Born January 3, 1977 in North Little Rock, AR USA
[edit] Biographical Information
A.J. Burnett was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 draft. Fellow major leaguer Craig Monroe was also taken in this round, several spots higher than Burnett. He was traded to the Florida Marlins for Al Leiter in 1998, one of several very good young players the Marlins acquired when they dismantled their 1997 Championship team.
His first brush with fame on May 12, 2001, when he pitched a 3-0 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. He ended the season with a solid 11-12 record and a 4.05 ERA for the young Marlins, giving a hint of future stardom. His five shutouts in 2002 led the National League and established a Marlins team single-season record that has since been tied by Dontrelle Willis. He was also first on the club's career shutout list with six until 2002, and ended his Florida career with 8. That has since been broken by Dontrelle Willis as well. He improved to 12-9, 3.30 that season and seemed ready to form a tremendous duo with Josh Beckett.
However, Burnett's career was derailed when he underwent Tommy John surgery after only four starts in 2003, missing the Marlins' run to the 2003 World Championship. He came back in 2004 and won six of his last seven decisions, including a 14 strikeout outing against Colorado - a Marlins team record (as of 2004). After a solid season in 2005, in which he won 12 games and pitched over 200 innings, he became a free agent and was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Burnett went 10-8 for the Blue Jays in both 2006 and 2007, missing time both seasons with various injuries, and alternating periods of dominance on the mound with very frustrating outings, He put it all together in 2008, winning 18 games and striking out a league-leading 231 batters. Showing durability for the first time in years, he was tied for the most starts in the American League with 34, and pitched the third most innings in the circuit. As a clause in his contract allowed him a possibility to opt out after three seasons, speculation grew as to whether he would become a free agent at the end of the year, as he was demonstrating that he could be a top-line starter. The New York Yankees' Hank Steinbrenner even expressed interest in him publicly as the season was winding down, in a statement that was very close to tampering.
Burnett did in fact sign a lucrative free agent contract with the Yankees after the season, joining CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira as a newly-minted Yankee in 2009. He had a solid first season in the Bronx, helping the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title. He went 13-9, 4.04 in 33 starts, pitching over 200 innings while striking out 195. He did walk an American League-leading 97 batters, but formed a solid threesome with Sabathia and Andy Pettitte at the top of the starting rotation. He pitched 6 solid innings with a no-decision against the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS, then made two starts against the Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS. He did not do as well, giving up 8 runs in 12 1/3 innings, but did not suffer a loss as the Yanks moved on the World Series. He registered a key win in Game 2 of the Fall Classic, giving up a run in 7 innings after the Philadelphia Phillies had won Game 1. He then lost Game 5 when he gave up 6 runs in 2 innings, but overall his contribution was quite positive. One bad note was that he was unable to work well with veteran Yankee catcher Jorge Posada and forced Joe Girardi to team him with back-up Jose Molina during his starts. Things went less well in 2010, as he fell to 10-15, 5.26 in 33 starts and struggled with inconsistency. He then lost his only postseason start, giving up 5 runs in 6 innings in a Game 4 start against the Texas Rangers in the ALCS.
Burnett struggled some more in 2011, at a time when he was expected to step up following the retirement of Pettitte. Instead, he was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. He still had good stuff, as his 173 strikeouts in 190 1/3 innings showed. However, he was like Forrest Gump's proverbial box of chocolates, as the Yankees never knew what they were going to get when they sent him to the mound. In his only postseason start, it was the good A.J. that showed up: he gave up a single run in 5 2/3 innings in leading the Yankees to a 10-1 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 of the ALDS, but the Yankees then lost Game 5 to bow out of the playoffs early. The Yankees' brass had had too much of his inconsistency by then however. After acquiring starters Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda in the off-season, they began shopping around Burnett, a task made more difficult by his hefty salary. On February 17, 2012, they found a taker in the Pittsburgh Pirates, but had to agree to pick up $20 million of the $33 million remaining on his contract for the next two seasons. In return they received two minor leaguers a long way from making any contribution in the big leagues in AA pitcher Diego Moreno and low Class A outfielder Exicardo Cayones. The deal was made official the next day, after A.J. passed a physical administered by the Bucs, and Commissioner Bud Selig gave his approval for the trade, a necessary step given the amount of money involved.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, Burnett was injured at the very start of spring training in 2012. While practicing bunting on February 29th, he fouled a ball into his face and tests showed that he had fractured an eye socket. He underwent surgery two days later, and faced a 2 to 3 month recovery period, but in fact it was much quicker, as he made his debut for his new team on April 21st. It was worth the wait, as he pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up only 3 hits while striking out 7 in beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0. Just a couple starts later, on May 2, Burnett was shellacked for 12 runs in 2 2/3 IP, the most runs allowed by a Pirate pitcher since 1932. The Elias Sports Bureau reported that no one had allowed that many runs in under 3 innings since earned runs became an official stat in 1913.
Burnett is a classic power pitcher, with an outstanding fastball that can get him out of trouble, but control problems that can place him in trouble as well. He has a bit of a bad boy image, with heavy tattoos and a reputation for having difficulty getting along with his catchers and managers. All of that is forgotten when he gets the most out of his superior stuff, though.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL Strikeouts Leader (2008)
- NL Shutouts Leader (2002)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2008)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (2002, 2005, 2008 & 2009)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 2 (2002 & 2008)
- Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 2009
