With Matt Blake already wowed by Nick Burdi’s “tantalizing stuff,” Aaron Boone also got an up-close look at the non-roster invitee on Friday.
“You talk about stuff. I mean, that’s great stuff,” Boone said of the right-handed reliever after shaking his head in comical fashion.
Boone said Burdi threw 98-100 mph while racking up a few strikeouts during live BP on Friday. The manager emphasized that that heat, in addition to a sweeper and a changeup, comes from a brand-new arm slot that makes the ball difficult to see.
Nick Burdi is out here pumping gas. Just struck out Anthony Volpe and DJ LeMahieu.
Here's what I wrote on the #Yankees' NRI RP the other day: https://t.co/kLzfTeDTxr pic.twitter.com/oq0a9GM9VX
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) February 23, 2024
A former quarterback, Burdi has been throwing at least 95 mph since his sophomore year of high school. He used to throw more over the top, but a long injury history sparked a change over the offseason. The 31-year-old has undergone two Tommy John surgeries and thoracic outlet surgery, among other procedures.
Burdi has been limited to just 19 games since debuting with the Pirates in 2018.
“Obviously, the thing for him over his entire career has been health,” Boone said. “He’s been really good early in camp. Stuff’s as good as it gets.”
While Burdi has the Yankees’ attention, Boone stopped short of saying he could be the next Ian Hamilton. Hamilton parlayed a non-roster invite into a big league bullpen job last spring before enjoying a breakout season with the Yankees.
The club has several other intriguing NRI relievers in camp, including Dennis Santana, Yerry De Los Santos and Art Warren.
“I do feel like, without question, this is our best group of non-roster pitchers we’ve had in a camp,” Boone said, echoing sentiments shared by others in the organization.
Burdi, meanwhile, knows that he has an uphill battle to climb as an NRI. But the Yankees should have at least one relief job open with Scott Effross starting the year on the injured list.
That means Burdi has a chance. So far, he’s making the most of it.
“Anytime you come into camp as a non-roster invite guy, you’re hoping to fight for a job,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there’s eight, nine arms that are capable of winning that. My thing is always just to make it as hard as possible on those guys up top to make a decision. But if my name is in the conversation, then I did everything I could throughout the spring to give myself that chance.”
