| Brock Burke | |
|---|---|
 Burke with the Charlotte Stone Crabs | |
| Los Angeles Angels – No. 46 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1996-08-04)August 4, 1996 (age 28) Chicago,Illinois, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 20, 2019, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics (through August 31, 2024) | |
| Win–loss record | 13–11 |
| Earned run average | 4.05 |
| Strikeouts | 187 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Brock Christopher Burke (born August 4, 1996) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theLos Angeles Angels ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for theTexas Rangers.
Burke attendedEvergreen High School inEvergreen, Colorado.[1] In his senior year, he struck out 20 batters in a game against Eaglecrest High School atCoors Field. He committed to attend theUniversity of Oregon.
The Rays selected him in the third round, with the 96th overall selection, of the2014 MLB draft.[2][3] He signed for an above slot $897,500signing bonus.[1] He made his professional debut in 2014 for theGulf Coast Rays,[4] going 0–3 with a 10.80 ERA in13+1⁄3 innings pitched.[5] Burke spent 2015 with thePrinceton Rays where he went 4–2 with a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts, and 2016 with theHudson Valley Renegades where he pitched to a 3–3 record and a 3.39 ERA in 13 starts.[5]
Burke began the 2017 season with theBowling Green Hot Rods, and was promoted to theCharlotte Stone Crabs during the season. In 23 starts between the two teams, he went 11–6 with a 2.99 ERA. In 2018, he pitched for both Charlotte and theMontgomery Biscuits,[6] compiling a combined 9–6 record and 3.08 ERA 25 games (22 starts).[5] The Rays added Burke to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[7]
On December 21, 2018, theTexas Rangers acquired Burke from the Rays as part of a three team deal in which the Rangers also acquiredKyle Bird, Yoel Espinal,Eli White, and $750,000 of international signing bonus pool space, the Rays acquiredEmilio Pagan, Rollie Lacy, and a competitive balance pick in the2019 MLB draft (Seth Johnson), and theOakland Athletics acquiredJurickson Profar.[8]
In 2019, Burke was optioned to theFrisco RoughRiders of theDouble-ATexas League to open the season.[9] Burke was placed on theinjured list on April 23 due to shoulder fatigue and blister issues. He made one start each for theAZL Rangers and theHickory Crawdads, before returning to Frisco on June 26.[10] With Frisco, he went 3–5 with a 3.18 ERA in 45 innings.[5] On August 6, Burke was promoted to theNashville Sounds of theTriple-APacific Coast League.[11] He made two starts for Nashville, allowing 7 runs over 8 innings.[12]
On August 20, 2019, the Rangers promoted Burke to the major leagues.[13] He made his major league debut that night versus theLos Angeles Angels, recording four strikeouts over six scoreless innings.[14][15] With Texas in 2019, Burke went 0–2 with a 7.43 ERA over26+2⁄3 innings.[16] Burke missed the entire 2020 season, after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in February 2020.[17] Burke spent 2021 season with theRound Rock Express of theTriple-A West, going 1–5 with a 5.68 ERA and 97 strikeouts over77+2⁄3 innings.[18]
Burke made the Rangers 2022Opening Day roster as arelief pitcher.[19][20] Burke's 2022 season was a breakout in performance and health. He posted a 7–5 record with a 1.97 ERA and 90 strikeouts over82+1⁄3 innings.[21] He was named the Texas Rangers Rookie of the Year by the DFW areaBBWAA.[22] In 2023, Burke made 53 appearances out of thebullpen, registering a 4.37 ERA with 52 strikeouts across59+2⁄3 innings of work.[23]
Burke began the 2024 season in Texas' bullpen, but struggled to a 15.00 ERA across five appearances. On April 12, 2024, following a poor outing against theHouston Astros, he punched a wall in frustration and suffered a fractured right hand.[24] On April 19, Burke underwent surgery to repair the injury, which was diagnosed as a fracturedmetacarpal.[25] He was activated from the injured list on June 12.[26] He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on June 30 to make room forJonathan Ornelas.[27] In 13 games for Texas, Burke struggled to a 9.22 ERA with 16 strikeouts across13+2⁄3 innings pitched. Burke wasdesignated for assignment by the Rangers on August 11.[28]
On August 13, 2024, Burke was claimed off waivers by theLos Angeles Angels.[29]
Burke has suffered fromsomnambulism (sleepwalking) his entire life. On multiple occasions while in the minor leagues, Burke was witnessed by different roommates waking up suddenly during the night and acting out in various ways.[30]