Prospect Blake Burkhalter Throws Seven Inning Complete Game For High-A Rome

The Atlanta Braves are having some success with those "reliever to starter" conversions this season.

Reynaldo López is the big one - one of baseball's best relievers in the last few seasons with the Chicago White Sox, he's in the Braves rotation and has one of the lowest ERA's in the league, sitting at 2.06. Tonight's starter, Grant Holmes, is hoping for a repeat of his dominant debut, where he struck out the first seven batters he faced in a Braves win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Ray Kerr, despite a bumpy ERA in his two starts, struck out 13 in just 7.2 innings before going down for Tommy John surgery.

Atlanta may have done it again.

Blake Burkhalter pitched a complete game for the High-A Rome Emperors today in just his eleventh career start and tenth after returning from 2023 Tommy John surgery. The righthander allowed five hits, all singles, striking out five with no walks in Rome's 2-0 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays) in seven innings of game one of a doubleheader.

Burkhalter, 23, was a 2nd round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of nearby Auburn University. A dominant reliever in college that was second in the country in saves in 2022 with 16, the All-American was announced as a starter at the draft. But under the tutelage of former Braves great Tim Hudson, who was his pitching coach, the righty added his mentor's trademark cutter to his fastball/changeup pairing. With the team since adding a true slider to his arsenal, team officials express hope that he's diversified his offerings enough to turn over a lineup multiple times.

I'd say he has.

The four-pitch mix and returning velocity, with the righty reporting running his heater up to the upper 90s, pairs well with his solid control to project as a potential rotation option as he progresses toward the majors.

He's on a hot streak, as well - in his last start, Saturday against the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets), Burkhalter allowed only one unearned run in his six innings, again walking none in a win. The righty's earned run scoreless streak is currently at sixteen innings, dating back to the third inning on July 21st against the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees).

The righty, currently with a 2.57 ERA in eight starts for Rome, is Atlanta's 25th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline.