Miami Marlins Prospect Report: Peyton Burdick’s Big 2020

The Miami Marlins now have so many prospects in their system, it can be easy to overlook a future major-leaguer.

Peyton Burdick may be one such future big leaguer. Six-foot-even and 210 lbs., the right-handed native of Batavia, OH was the Miami Marlins third round choice this past June.

Turning 23-years-old today, Burdick played three seasons of Division 1 baseball with the Wright State Raiders, missing 2017 for Tommy John Surgery. His most impressive season by far was his red-shirt junior year of 2019, when he hit .407/.538/.729 in 59 games. He hit 15 homers with 72 RBI, while drawing nearly twice as many walks as strikeouts, 60-to-35 and stealing 24 bases.

Burdick signed with the Marlins for a below-slot $397,500 bonus, and reported directly to the Short-season-A Batavia Muckdogs, in the New York-Penn League (not the same Batavia that he was born in). In six contests, he was seven-for-22 with a triple, a homer, and five RBI.

The Miami Marlins fast-tracked Burdick up a level to the Single-A Clinton LumberKings in the Midwest League. He acquitted himself nicely in 63 contests, hitting .307/.408/.542 with 33 extra base hits, including 10 home runs. Burdick also collected a healthy 59 RBI, leading the team despite playing in less than half of their 139 games. Some remarked that Burdick compares to another, more famous Midwest League alum:

Burdick is mostly a left fielder by trade, where he racked up a solid .993 fielding percentage in 529 innings in 2019 for the Kings. He also appeared sparingly in right field, but never in center. A 55-rated power stroke and arm, Burdick is closer to average in his other three tool ratings, grading at 45 for his run and field tools, and 40 for his hit tool according to MLB Pipeline.

That’s funny though, since all Burdick has done since 2019 started is hit and hit some more. If you collect all that batting data from the season, from college through the two minor league levels, he’s hit .352 with 167 base hits in only 128 games.

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"Burdick had some of the best raw power in the 2019 college crop, with some scouts grading it as plus-plus. His prodigious strength and the bat speed in his right-handed swing give him the ability to drive the ball out of the park to all fields. There are questions as to how he’ll make contact against better competition and with wood bats after a so-so performance in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2018, but he does have some patience and has fared well in his first taste of pro ball. – MLB Pipeline"

Burdick will no doubt excel at his next level. It’s almost a lock he’ll begin the 2020 season at the High-A level with the Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League. Considering his track record thus far, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him graduate to the Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the Southern League before the season is out.

Burdick could make an appearance at the major league level at some point in the 2021 season, but 2022 seems more likely. Thanks for reading, and keep checking here for all the latest Marlins news.