Sleeper Watch

Chris Burke’s 2004 big league debut wasn’t terribly auspicious: in 17 games, the rookie 2B picked up just one hit (a single) in 17 at bats for a lowly .059 average. Those call-up jitters didn’t douse fantasy owners’ optimism, however, and thanks to a solid AAA campaign in which he posted a .903 OPS, there was a considerable buzz surrounding the 25-year-old this spring.

That buzz quickly died when Burke hit just .238 with no home runs and a .551 OPS in April. Many owners who were hoping for help at the shallow 2B position – including those who had hopes for him as a long-term keeper – sent him packing to the waiver wire, and with an average of .179 and an on-base-percentage of .216 through the middle of June, there hadn’t been much reason to expect a turnaround. Until now, that is.

In his last 11 games, Burke has gone 13-for-34 (.382) to raise his season average by 54 points. He also walked as many times (5) as he fanned during that stretch, a great sign for a young hitter, especially considering that hrough the middle of June, his BB/K ratio had been a lowly 0.17. His overall numbers still won’t turn any heads, but his three stolen bases in a 7-1 Houston win over Colorado on June 29 will certainly catch fantasy owners’ attention. It’s starting to look as if Burke can play; if you gave up on him early in the season, give him another look before one of your rivals does.