Zack
Burdi

5/6/13 - Currently ranked No. 1 in Illinois and No. 6 overall. On Monday against Willowbrook, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound showed similar stuff as his Super 60 performance in February – a performance that made him a high-interest draft prospect. Working from a 3/4 slot, Burdi’s fastball sat 91-92 in the first inning with heavy arm-side run and sink. In the second inning, his fastball sat 90-91, and didn’t dip below 90 until the fourth. He also showed a sharp 79-mph slider with hard two-plane action, a pitch he threw for strikes early in the game. Burdi also threw a 72-74 mph curveball. He didn’t throw his changeup much, which is surprising because at the Super 60, it was a plus pitch. Burdi retired the first 10 batters he faced, seven via strikeout and five straight at one point. In the later innings, he consistently missed arm-side. He finished the game with eight strikeouts, four hits – two of the infield variety – with four walks and one hit batsman. Downers Grove South lost the game 1-0. Overall, Burdi very well may have the most electric stuff in Illinois. Harnessing it will be his key in the future.

2/19/12 Burdi looks to be one of the premier arms in the Class of 2013. Simply put, his bullpen session was electric. His fastball registered 90 mph several times, and never dipped below 88. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander projects extremely well at the next level, just as his older brother, Nick, did (Nick is now a freshman at Louisville). The younger Burdi works from a 3/4 arm slot and has a quick, whippy arm action. The ball jumps out of his hand, and demonstrated late arm-side life. He also showed feel for all three of his pitches.  In addition to his fastball, he impressed with his 11/5 breaking ball in the 69-74 range, and a 76-79 mph changeup with arm side run. In all, the athletically built Burdi proved himself to be an elite right-handed prospect in the Midwest.

Younger Burdi has upside like his older brother Nick, who's the No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2011.