Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50

Burke tied Tennessee's freshman home run record with 14 in just 95 at-bats in 2022 but slumped a bit despite going deep 16 times last spring. He has been a more polished hitter as a junior, leading NCAA Division I with 30 doubles and setting another Volunteers mark with a 31-game hitting streak. He mashed his way into the top two rounds of the Draft while winning Southeastern Conference tournament MVP honors and helping Tennessee win its first College World Series championship.

Burke has an impressive combination of bat speed and strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame, which generate plus-plus raw power and consistently high exit velocities. His left-handed pop plays to all parts of the ballpark, and he has grown to realize that he can hit home runs without swinging for the fences. After striking out in 31 percent of his plate appearances as a freshman, he has increased his contact rates by becoming less pull-happy, though he's still prone to chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

While Burke has become more reliable at first base, he's still a below-average defender with limited range. With well-below-average speed and subpar arm strength, he has no other defensive options. Despite his lack of quickness, he's an opportunistic basestealer who will take advantage if opponents forget about him.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 40 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Burke had an accomplished career at Tennessee that included tying the program's freshman record with 14 homers in 2022 and winning SEC Tournament MVP honors and a national title as a junior in 2024. He slugged .702 with 20 homers in 72 games that spring, and that power led the Brewers to take him 34th overall and sign him for $2.1 million. The first baseman hit .292/.379/.453 with 16 homers in 132 games between High-A and Double-A in his first full season, and his 139 wRC+ was tops among Brewers full-season qualifiers.

It was a fascinating 2025 campaign for Burke because he took off following his move to Biloxi, where he clubbed 11 homers in 37 games. His power has long been evident dating back to his time in Knoxville, but the jump to producing it in pro games coincided with him elevating much more on contact with his ground-ball rate dropping an even 10 points between High-A and Double-A. The lefty slugger stands tall in the box and doesn’t need a big load to unleash big hacks, relying on his upper-body strength. He was more swing-happy in Biloxi than in Wisconsin, putting him back at the level of his time in Tennessee, and even if it leads to some chase and whiffs, he might be best at his most aggressive.

A below-average runner, Burke will be limited to first-base duty when he is in the field. He can hold down the position fairly enough with decent scoops and movement to and from the bag, but few evaluators or analysts expect him to be a true asset there. Burke needs to hit rockets, and after a brief pause, he’s back to trending toward doing just that at the MLB level.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

Burke got his Tennessee career off to an astounding start by tying a school freshman record with 14 homers in only 95 at-bats in 2022. His performance dipped as a sophomore a year later, but he was back to his slug-heavy dominant ways as a junior last year, slashing .379/.449/.702 with 20 homers and 30 doubles (most in Division I) in 72 games. He also picked up another school record with a 31-game hitting streak, won SEC Tournament MVP and led the Volunteers to their first national title. The Brewers took Burke 34th overall in July and signed him for slightly below slot at $2.1 million before sending him out to High-A Wisconsin for five games.

The left-handed slugger has plenty of bat speed and strength that help him generate high exit velocities. It’s plus-plus raw power, and he got to more of it over his time in college because he was less pull-prone and more willing to send the ball screaming all over the yard. He’ll still get swing-happy, however; he ran a 35 percent chase rate in his final season with the Vols and was willing to expand the zone on a variety of pitch types. The hard contact should help keep his average afloat, but better pro pitching will take advantage of that approach.

Burke is a well-below-average runner, and he lacks even average arm strength. That should keep him at first base, where the bar for power production only goes up. Milwaukee has other first-base options in the system too between Mike Boeve, Tyler Black, Luke Adams and Eric Bitonti, so Burke may have to keep proving himself at every stop to rise in that crowd.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

Burke tied Tennessee's freshman home run record with 14 in just 95 at-bats in 2022 but slumped a bit despite going deep 16 times last spring. He was a more polished hitter as a junior, leading NCAA Division I with 30 doubles and setting another Volunteers mark with a 31-game hitting streak. He won Southeastern Conference tournament MVP honors and helped Tennessee win its first College World Series championship before going to the Brewers with the 34th overall pick. He signed for slightly below slot at $2.1 million. 

Burke has an impressive combination of bat speed, strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame, which generates plus-plus raw power and consistently high exit velocities. His left-handed pop plays to all parts of the ballpark, and he has grown to realize that he can hit home runs without swinging for the fences. After striking out in 31 percent of his plate appearances as a freshman, he increased his contact rates by becoming less pull-happy, though he's still prone to chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

While Burke has become more reliable at first base, he's still a below-average defender with limited range. With well-below-average speed and subpar arm strength, he has no other defensive options. Despite his lack of quickness, he's an opportunistic basestealer who will take advantage if opponents forget about him.

Awards

SOU Player of the Month

Month	Team
08/2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	1B Blake Burke assigned to Milwaukee Brewers Prospects.
	02/22/2026	1B Blake Burke assigned to Milwaukee Brewers.
	08/02/2025	1B Blake Burke assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
	03/06/2025	activated 1B Blake Burke.
	02/25/2025	1B Blake Burke roster status changed by Milwaukee Brewers.
	02/25/2025	1B Blake Burke assigned to Milwaukee Brewers.
	09/19/2024	Wisconsin Timber Rattlers activated 1B Blake Burke from the 7-day injured list.
	08/27/2024	Wisconsin Timber Rattlers placed 1B Blake Burke on the 7-day injured list retroactive to August 25, 2024.
	08/10/2024	1B Blake Burke assigned to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from ACL Brewers.
	08/05/2024	1B Blake Burke assigned to ACL Brewers.
	07/23/2024	Milwaukee Brewers signed 1B Blake Burke.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated 1B Blake Burke.
	02/06/2024	1B Blake Burke assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.
	02/03/2023	1B Blake Burke assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.
	03/01/2022	1B Blake Burke and assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.
	06/15/2020	1B Blake Burke assigned to PG National 12 - White.
	06/15/2020	1B Blake Burke assigned to PG National 12 - White.