William John Burns (born August 30, 1989) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals.
| Billy Burns | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Burns with the Oakland Athletics | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: August 30, 1989 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 28, 2014, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 21, 2017, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 55 |
| Stolen bases | 46 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Career
editAmateur
editBurns attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Georgia,[1] and Mercer University. In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]
Washington Nationals
editHe was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 32nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft,[3] and started the 2013 season with the Potomac Nationals but was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators during the season.[4] Burns hit .315/.425/.383 and stole 74 bases between the two levels.[5] After the season, he was named the Nationals Minor League Player of the Year.[6][7]
Oakland Athletics
editOn December 11, 2013, the Nationals traded Burns to the Oakland Athletics for Jerry Blevins.[8] Burns hit .250/.333/.330, with 51 stolen bases, before being called up to the majors from the Double-A Midland RockHounds on July 28, 2014.[5][9]
On May 24, 2015 he hit his first MLB home run against Tampa Bay Rays, when he swung on the first pitch of the game. In 2015 he batted 294/.334/.392 with 26 stolen bases, and led the majors in percentage of soft-hit batted balls (31.0%).[10]
Kansas City Royals
editOn July 30, 2016, the Athletics traded Burns to the Kansas City Royals for Brett Eibner.[11]
The Royals designated Burns for assignment on February 28, 2018.[12] He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on March 4.[13] In 102 games for Omaha, Burns batted .255/.314/.317 with four home runs, 36 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.[14]
New York Yankees
editOn January 4, 2019, the New York Yankees signed Burns to a minor league contract.[15] He received a non-roster invitation to spring training in 2019.[16] In 93 games for the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he hit .258/.330/.360 with two home runs, 25 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Burns elected free agency following the season on November 4.[17]
As of July 15, 2020, Burns had retired from professional baseball and become a real estate agent.
Personal life
editHis sister, Abbey, is a member of the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team.[18]
References
edit- ^ Zuvanich, Adam (April 2, 2014). "TEXAS LEAGUE BASEBALL: Faith, sister fuel Burns' drive to succeed". Odessa American. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ "#32 Billy Burns". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ "Burns Taken by Washington Nationals in 32nd Round of 2011 MLB Draft". Mercerbears.com. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ^ Sottile, Dave (August 26, 2013). "Senators OF Billy Burns proving to be as good as advertised". Pennlive.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ^ a b Dykstra, Sam (July 28, 2014). "A's call up speedy prospect Burns". MILB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ Wagner, James. "Billy Burns named Nationals' minor league player of the year, Taylor Jordan named pitcher of the year". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ^ "Nationals name OF Billy Burns & RHP Taylor Jordan Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year". Mlb.mlb.com. September 13, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ^ "A's Acquire OF Billy Burns from Washington for LHP Jerry Blevins". Oakland.athletics.mlb.com. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ^ Lee, Jane (July 28, 2014). "Gentry lands on DL with broken hand; Burns recalled". MLB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Batters » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
- ^ "A's trade Burns to Royals for Eibner". WDAF-TV. Associated Press. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ MLBRosterMoves on Twitter: ".@Royals sign 1B Lucas Duda to one-year deal; designate OF Billy Burns for assignment."
- ^ Minor MLB Transactions: 3/4/2018 - MLB Trade Rumors
- ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ "Yankees' Billy Burns: Lands with Yankees". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ Dykstra, Sam (February 1, 2019). "Yankees invite Florial to spring camp". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019). "Minor League Free Agents 2019". Baseball America. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ "Burns sister Abbey part of an athletic family". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Mercer Bears bio
- MILB stats
- Billy Burns on Twitter