January 13, 2024
Left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette is focusing on his health and strength before entering his third spring camp next month.
“I’m focusing on overall health and overall strength this off-season,” said Burnette. “I’m working on my strengths, getting everything in the zone, and making minor tweaks here and there. Not anything major, just trying to make everything better pretty much.”
Burnette currently uses a three-pitch mix of: a 4-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup; he likes to throw his fastball up in the zone.
“I try to get the fastball up in the zone,” explained Burnette. “I try to keep it in the zone and play around with it in the zone, stuff like that.”
He’s also trying to develop a fourth pitch, “I’m messing around with a cutter/harder slider,” Burnette added. “But I’m still mainly fastball and slider. I’m still working on them trying to make them better.”
Pitching 42 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023; Burnette finished the season with 63 K’s.
Burnette feels that Triple-A players are more focused, “Guys are more focused all-around,” stated Burnette. “They know what they want to do – whether it’s at the plate or on the mound. They know their strengths, they stick to their strengths, but they also know their weaknesses. They put an emphasis on their strengths but also making their weaknesses not weaknesses also.”
He also feels the level of play helped him refine his routine, “I’d say being real refined in my routine,” Burnette said. “The level of play, the caliber of players you face, some of the guys have played in the big leagues, and getting to see how those players carry themselves was really cool for me to see and take into my game.”
Keep it up, Jimmy Burnette!