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OF Peyton Burdick

• Selected by Marlins in third round of 2019 MLB Draft
• Won 2021 Marlins Minor League Player of the Year award
• Made MLB debut on August 5, 2022 vs. Chicago Cubs
• 2023 is his age-26 season

Strengths

Burdick is coming into the 2023 season having gained much-needed major league experience the season prior. In his limited appearances, he demonstrated the ability to produce hard contact. He ranked fifth among all Marlins players in average exit velocity (90.0 mph) behind only Jorge Soler, Bryan De La Cruz, Jerar Encarnación and Jazz Chisholm Jr. He has the potential to be a legitimate power hitter as indicated by his .462 slug% and 49 home runs in 282 career minor league games.

At least in emergency situations, Burdick can help the Marlins in center field. He makes up for non-elite speed with solid routes and poise when pursuing balls near the wall. He also has a good enough arm. The Wright State University alum didn’t commit any errors defensively while in the majors.

Burdick finished up the 2022 season on a hot streak, slashing .375/.375/.750 for a 1.125 OPS in his eight Sept/Oct games.

Weaknesses

Burdick was too aggressive at the plate in 2022, putting himself in bad counts. By swinging at the first pitch 50% of the time, he posted an extremely high strikeout rate of 34.3%. His walk rate was also surprisingly below average (7.8%) despite years of doing well in that area as a prospect.

Burdick struggled even more than usual on days that he played CF (.125/.239/.200 for a 37 tOPS+), though the 13-game sample size is too small to draw any major conclusions from.

By defensive runs saved, outs above average and ultimate zone rating, Burdick rated as a below-average fielder. His reaction time to balls off the bat has room to improve.

Turning 26 today, Burdick is relatively old for a player who has less than a year of MLB service time. He has filled out physically and isn’t likely to get significantly stronger or faster than he currently is.

2023 Marlins Role

ZiPS Projection: .211/.308/.377, 98 wRC+, 15 HR

Noah Berger/Fish Stripes

If healthy, Chisholm, De La Cruz, Avisaíl García, Jesús Sánchez and Jorge Soler are all set in stone as members of the 2023 Marlins Opening Day roster. Even following an offseason that saw the team trade JJ Bleday and say goodbye to Brian Anderson, it’s still a crowded outfield. Peyton Burdick will have to wait until later in the season for an opportunity to play in Miami.

I see Burdick starting the year in AAA. He currently has all three of his minor league options remaining. The Marlins can bring him up if the injury bug bites them again, assuming he’s showing a more selective approach at the plate.

A best-case scenario for Burdick would be that he emerges as a slugger with a similar profile to Soler, giving the Marlins a controllable outfield/designated hitter option in case Soler opts out of his contract after this season. The worst-case scenario would be that he makes no progress from 2022, sapping almost all of his trade value in the process.