PCL1 Round Rock Express

Day Baseball Today

Published on May 14, 2003 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


SEIZE THE DAY: Come out to The Dell Diamond today and enjoy baseball the old fashioned way, during the day! The Round Rock Express and San Antonio Missions meet in game two of a four-game series at 12:05 pm today. If you can't make it to the park listen, and watch, online at http://www.rrexpress.com/streaming.

GLORY DAYS: Round Rock and Westwood will meet in game two of a best-of-three series Saturday morning (11:00 am) at The Dell Diamond in the UIL Playoffs. Game three (if necessary) will be at 7:00 pm, following the Dallas Cowboys vs. Texas Firefighters softball game at 3:00 pm at the stadium. Tickets for all three games will be available on the day of the games.

EXPRESS GEAR: If you haven't stopped by The Railyard lately you haven't seen some of the Express' newest merchandise. Great t-shirts, caps, polos and shorts are available for men, women and kids. Stop by The Railyard the next time you're at a game, or check them out online at http://www.rrexpress.com/railyard.

HOT PROSPECT: Express 2B Chris Burke was SportsTicker's (ESPN Statistical Service)featured prospect earlier this week.

BOSTON (Ticker) -- While the Round Rock Express have! struggled out of the gate this season with an 8-25 record, their second baseman Chris Burke has not. The Express are already 16 games behind the front-running San Antonio Missions of the Texas League's West Division, but the 23-year-old Burke was among the league's leaders in several offensive categories. Burke, who was the Astros' first-round pick in the 2001 draft, was leading the circuit with 49 hits while ranking second with a .363 average.

Burke is in his second tour of duty in the Texas League. Last year, he hit .264 with just 37 RBI in 136 games with the Express. But last season's numbers are a bit misleading. The Houston Astros did not have an advanced Class A affiliate, so rather than have Burke repeat in the lower level Class A Midwest League, they tested him at the Class AA level.

"We knew he was going to be challenged there," said Tim Purpura, the Houston Astros Director of Player Development. "The hardest thing I think in this game is to kn! ow when to move a player so that they're challenged but not b! uried. The thing about Chris is that his character and his makeup led us to believe he wouldn't be buried by anything."

Perhaps in a bit over his head initially, Burke had just one hit in his first 21 at-bats before beginning to get into any sort of rhythm. He rallied with a .295 average in August and starred in instructional league over the winter.

This season, Burke has already posted a 15-game hitting streak and has reached base by hit or walk in 24 straight games through May 7. During those 24 games, Burke has struck out only four times in 101 at-bats.

"(This season) I'm feeling a lot more comfortable up there with what I'm trying to do and with what pitchers in the league are trying to do to me," said Burke. "I'm progressing at a rate that will allow me to have a lot more success than I did last year."

Burke, who has been favorably compared to Craig Biggio, combines a live bat and good speed with very solid defense. Converting from s! hortstop, he led all league second basemen with a .976 fielding percentage last year.

"He's got great range and he's played very well at second base," said Purpura. "The arm positioning is a bit different at second base than shortstop. He's a pretty slick fielder. He's also one of those guys that if he isn't hitting well, it really doesn't affect his defense."

The 5-11, 180-pound Burke has yet to match the power numbers he put up in college. In his final year as a Volunteer, Burke belted 20 home runs while hitting a robust .435, earning 2001 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors.

Burke, still developing as a professional hitter, has seven professional home runs, including one this season - a grand slam against the Tulsa Drillers on May 3 - in 849 career at-bats.

"I think we're looking more for him to be a top-of-the-order, table setter kind of guy," said Purpura. "If the power comes, that's great. On-base percentage,! hits, walks - that's what we're looking for."

Using ! the comparison, Biggio managed only 12 minor league homers in 497 at-bats before joining Houston in his second pro season. His power developed much later in his career.

Straying from the comparison, however, Biggio made the club as a catcher back in 1988, working his way into an Astros catching mix that included Alan Ashby and Alex Trevino. Burke, instead, has to contend with former MVP Jeff Kent, whose presence moved Biggio to the outfield.

Without too much pressure to accelerate through the system, Burke has time to further acquaint himself with the best pitching the minor leagues have to offer. He will likely have two more full seasons to develop as Kent's contract with Houston is through the 2004 season. Perhaps in 2005, the Astros could have both Biggio and Burke up the middle.

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 14, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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