Billy Burns (baseball)

Not to be confused with Bill Burns (baseball).

Billy Burns
Burns with the Oakland Athletics
Center fielder
Born: (1989-08-30) August 30, 1989 (age 35) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 28, 2014, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
July 21, 2017, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.270
Home runs	5
Runs batted in	55
Stolen bases	46
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Oakland Athletics (2014–2016) Kansas City Royals (2016–2017)

William John Burns (born August 30, 1989) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals.

Career

Amateur

Burns attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Georgia,^[1] and Mercer University. In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[2]

Washington Nationals

He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 32nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft,^[3] and started the 2013 season with the Potomac Nationals but was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators during the season.^[4] Burns hit .315/.425/.383 and stole 74 bases between the two levels.^[5] After the season, he was named the Nationals Minor League Player of the Year.^[6][7]

Oakland Athletics

On December 11, 2013, the Nationals traded Burns to the Oakland Athletics for Jerry Blevins.^[8] Burns hit .250/.333/.330, with 51 stolen bases, before being called up to the majors from the Double-A Midland RockHounds on July 28, 2014.^[5][9]

On May 24, 2015 he hit his first MLB home run against Tampa Bay Rays, when he swung on the first pitch of the game. In 2015 he batted 294/.334/.392 with 26 stolen bases, and led the majors in percentage of soft-hit batted balls (31.0%).^[10]

Kansas City Royals

On July 30, 2016, the Athletics traded Burns to the Kansas City Royals for Brett Eibner.^[11]

The Royals designated Burns for assignment on February 28, 2018.^[12] He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on March 4.^[13] In 102 games for Omaha, Burns batted .255/.314/.317 with four home runs, 36 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.^[14]

New York Yankees

On January 4, 2019, the New York Yankees signed Burns to a minor league contract.^[15] He received a non-roster invitation to spring training in 2019.^[16] In 93 games for the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he hit .258/.330/.360 with two home runs, 25 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Burns elected free agency following the season on November 4.^[17]

As of July 15, 2020, Burns had retired from professional baseball and become a real estate agent.

Personal life

His sister, Abbey, is a member of the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team.^[18]

References

1. Zuvanich, Adam (April 2, 2014). "TEXAS LEAGUE BASEBALL: Faith, sister fuel Burns' drive to succeed". Odessa American. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
2. "#32 Billy Burns". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
3. "Burns Taken by Washington Nationals in 32nd Round of 2011 MLB Draft". Mercerbears.com. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
4. Sottile, Dave (August 26, 2013). "Senators OF Billy Burns proving to be as good as advertised". Pennlive.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
5. Dykstra, Sam (July 28, 2014). "A's call up speedy prospect Burns". MILB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
6. Wagner, James. "Billy Burns named Nationals' minor league player of the year, Taylor Jordan named pitcher of the year". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
7. "Nationals name OF Billy Burns & RHP Taylor Jordan Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year". Mlb.mlb.com. September 13, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
8. "A's Acquire OF Billy Burns from Washington for LHP Jerry Blevins". Oakland.athletics.mlb.com. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
9. Lee, Jane (July 28, 2014). "Gentry lands on DL with broken hand; Burns recalled". MLB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
10. Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Batters » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
11. "A's trade Burns to Royals for Eibner". WDAF-TV. Associated Press. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
12. MLBRosterMoves on Twitter: ".@Royals sign 1B Lucas Duda to one-year deal; designate OF Billy Burns for assignment."
13. Minor MLB Transactions: 3/4/2018 - MLB Trade Rumors
14. Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
15. "Yankees' Billy Burns: Lands with Yankees". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
16. Dykstra, Sam (February 1, 2019). "Yankees invite Florial to spring camp". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
17. Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019). "Minor League Free Agents 2019". Baseball America. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
18. "Burns sister Abbey part of an athletic family". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Mercer Bears bio
• MILB stats
• Billy Burns on Twitter