The 2013 minor league baseball season proved to be another solid one for former Defiance High School pitching standout Tyler Burgoon. The end of 2013 could also prove to be very interesting for the right-handed relief pitcher currently in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Burgoon spent most of the year pitching for the Double-A Jackson Generals of the Southern League, but he also made two appearances for Triple-A Tacoma, including earning a victory in his first outing with the Pacific Coast League club.
"The beginning of the year I was pitching well, but as the year went on I had some rough patches and I found myself struggling between challenging guys and just throwing strikes," said Burgoon, who went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 36 relief appearances for Jackson. "For whatever reason, I found myself struggling with the first batter of an inning. My pitching coach (Dwight Bernard) came to me with stats showing that lead-off hitters were hitting .400 off me. When I saw that, I knew that had to be fixed.
"I figured out from there, that I needed to go into a game with the mindset that I didn't have any wiggle room against any batter," continued Burgoon, who struck out 65 and walked 23 in 501⁄3 innings on the bump with the Generals. "Once I really started challenging the lead-off guy, my season got much better."
In late April, Burgoon was called up to Tacoma where he made his Triple-A debut at Las Vegas. The righty threw 21⁄3 innings of relief where he allowed one run on one hit while striking out three and walking none in earning the victory in a 5-3 win.
"It was a great opportunity for me and I felt great in that outing," said Burgoon. "I was nervous, but I pitched pretty well and just tried to do what I do well. That first game it ended up working out pretty well for me."
Burgoon's second outing with the Rainiers, however, did not go so well.
On May 3 at home against Reno, Burgoon went one inning and allowed three runs on two hits while walking two and striking out none. His team won the game, but Burgoon suffered a shoulder injury on his non-throwing arm which sent him to the disabled list. The organization also sent him back down to Jackson.
"I threw a wild pitch in my second game and had to run in and cover the plate," began Burgoon. "When I went to make a tag, his feet hit my arm and I partially dislocated my left shoulder. I ended up on the DL for a week and I ended up going to back Jackson.
"I would have to say I was happy with my season overall, but no ecstatic," added Burgoon. "I don't think at the end I really showed how much progress I had really made. My arm felt fatigued at the end of the season, so now I'm working on tweaking my routine so I can be ready for the rigors of a full season."
Now that the season is over, the Mariners must make the decision whether or not to put Burgoon on its 40-man roster to keep him in the organization. Because Burgoon was older than 19 when he was drafted, and because he has four years of service in the minors, Seattle has until Dec. 9 to make that decision.
If Seattle decides to not put Burgoon on the 40-man roster, he will become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft which takes place this year on Dec. 12. In the Rule 5 Draft, other organizations would have the opportunity to draft the righty and make him a member of its team, but that organization would have to put him on its 25-man, or major league roster, for the duration of the 2014 season.
"There's a lot that can happen, and the organization either protects me or they don't," concluded Burgoon. "I have no idea what the organization plans to do, so there's no reason for me to speculate or worry, I can control only what I can control. I guess it makes it exciting though."
In the meantime, Burgoon is working on finishing his degree at the University of Michigan. Once mid-December rolls around, he'll be back throwing in preparation for the 2014 season.
"This year I was again a late-inning reliever and I had a specific role (mostly seventh or eighth inning), but moving forward I would like try and expand my role," concluded Burgoon. "I would like to be able to throw more innings and be used as a long reliever too. I might need to develop another pitch (to go with his fastball, change-up and slider), and I've tinkered a little bit with a curve. I kind of lost feeling with it late in the year, but that's a pitch I need to get back to using."