Kansas City Royals: Prospect to Watch, D.J. Burt

MLB PIpeline updated all of their prospect rankings Thursday, and the Kansas City Royals list are seeing some newcomers on their list. Infielder D.J. Burt is one of those new names.

D.J. Burt was signed in June of 2014 as a fourth round pick by the Kansas City Royals. The now 22 year old put together an impressive 68-game on-base streak between the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

He is with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in Advanced A ball this year, and MLB Pipeline has him slated for a Major League debut in 2020.

Scouting Report

Burt grades pretty highly overall across the board, according to MLB Pipeline. Really the only concerning grade is his power, which grades out at 20. In fact, he struggled in the 2017 season at the plate because he tried to put more focus on hitting with power.

Now, he is putting together quite the 2018 season. He has done enough to move himself from not being ranked as a top prospect in the preseason rankings to the 28th spot on the list.

He currently is slashing .310/.401/.410. And he’s small but quick; Burt boasts 26 stolen bases through 79 games. He isn’t the type of guy to blast home run after home run, as is seen by his power grade – and he only has two on the season. But, he makes good contact and he gets on base.

In the field, he has spent most of his time at second. But,he isn’t limited to one position. He is also strong at third base, and he could take reps at shortstop or in left field as well.

When will he be with the Royals?

As aforementioned, MLB Pipeline estimated 2020 as the year he breaks onto the Major League scene. That is a possibility. Because there is a rebuild impending, who knows what will happen.

The hope is that a multitude of young guys will be given opportunities within the next few years to help build the Kansas City Royals back up to a World Series caliber team. D.J. Burt will have to quickly move himself through the rest of the minor league system first.