Trey Yesavage vs Chase Burns: Who's the better fit for Colorado Rockies in the 2024 MLB draft?
Trey Yesavage and Chase Burns are two of the best right-handed pitchers in college baseball and are eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft. Both players enjoyed standout collegiate careers and are projected to be selected early in the draft.
Here, we will analyze both prospects to select the player who will better suit the Colorado Rockies, the team that owns the third pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
The case for Trey Yesavage
Trey Yesavage is a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher from East Carolina. Yesavage started out as a reliever but eventually entered the program's rotation last spring and ended the season as a consensus second-team All-American. Yesavage finished among NCAA Division I leaders in ERA, strikeouts, and average-against this year.
Trey Yesavage boasts an impressive four-pitch arsenal punctuated by his mid-80s slider/cutter, 93-95 mph fastball, low-80s spike curveball and splitter with similar velocity. With the right mentoring, he is projected to be a mid-rotation starter in the MLB and potentially an all-star.
The case for Chase Burns
Chase Burns is a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher at Wake Forest. Burns was a baseball phenom from high school in Tennessee and was drafted in the 2021 MLB Draft. However, he decided to forgo the professional route to pitch for the Tennessee Vols.
Burns made the right decision, quickly becoming one of the nation's best pitchers. He operates at a 97-99 mph clip and reaches 102 once he turns it up a notch. Burns' biggest strength as a pitcher is his slider, which sits in the upper 80s. He also throws a low-80s curveball for good measure. Burns is projected to have the ceiling of a frontline starter but comes with some reliever risk.
Who will the Colorado Rockies select in the 2024 MLB Draft?
The Colorado Rockies have the third pick of the 2024 MLB Draft and, with that, the chance to pick one of the best right-handed pitchers on the board. Trey Yesavage and Chase Burns are talented options, but we can not see the Rockies looking past the latter.
USA Today and Bleacher Report project the Rockies to select Burns with the third pick of the upcoming draft. The Wake Forest pitcher's upside is too significant to ignore, and he could be the team's starting pitcher in no time. Yesavage is a decent prospect, but he's more likely to be selected later in the first round than in the top three.