30 Players in 30 Days: Sean Burnett

Sean Burnett

Burnett was acquired in the same trade that brought Nyjer Morgan over from Pittsburgh and immediately boosted the Nationals’ struggling bullpen. The hard-throwing left-hander became one of the most reliable arms out of the ‘pen this season before being sidelined by a bruised thumb on August 23rd. He was never put on the disabled list, but the injury decreased his playing time significantly.

Burnett began his career as a starting pitcher in the Pirates system. He enjoyed a fair amount of success as he worked his way up through the Minors. He made his Major League debut in 2004 and went 5-5 with a 5.02 ERA in 13 starts. Unfortunately, an injury late in that season led to Tommy John surgery and Burnett missed the entire 2005 season. He remained a starting pitching in the Minors in 2006 and 07. He became a full time reliever in 2008 and appeared in 58 games for the Pirates after he was called up at the beginning of May.

Burnett’s strongest assets include his command of the strike zone and his unusual pitching motion. He is a sidearm pitcher and throws across his body, causing the ball to take a different path to the plate than most players are used to. Even though he is left-handed, he is almost as effective against righties as he is against lefties (See chart). It appears that left-handed hitters do not get on base as often as right-handed hitters but lefties do hit the ball harder when they make contact. 

The trio of Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard, and Mike MacDougal proved to be a solid core in a bullpen that saw a lot of changes this year. Burnett is arbitration eligible and he will be counted on to be a stopper in the bullpen in 2010.