Drew Burress' size dropped his MLB Draft stock; now he's breaking Georgia Tech baseball records
Drew Burress hit a combined 30 home runs in his last two years of high school baseball, earning SBLive All-State honors both years playing for Houston County in Georgia.
And he tied the state record for RBIs as a junior with 73, but when you look at him, he won't draw any Aaron Judge comparisons.
Now mashing for Georgia Tech — setting the school record with a four-home-run game Tuesday and leading college baseball with nine — the freshman outfielder is listed at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds.
His stature is what kept him from becoming a first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, and Georgia Tech is reaping the benefits of that snub now.
Burress went 4-for-4 with four home runs, six RBIs and a walk Tuesday in a 10-0 Yellow Jackets win over Georgia State.
ESPN had him ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft and one of the best available for Day 2 when he wasn't picked on Day 1.
Instead he became the No. 1-ranked prospect in Georgia Tech's freshman class, and he's showing himself early to be one of the best players in college baseball.
In addition to HRs, he leads Georgia Tech in batting average (.441), runs (12) and RBIs (20), and 14 of his 15 college hits have gone for extra bases (nine HRs, five doubles).
Burress led Houston (pronounced Howston) County to Georgia Class 6A state championships in 2023 and 2021, and he'll try to lead Georgia Tech to College World Series glory in June.
And the smart bet is that when he decides to re-enter the MLB Draft, teams will think more Jose Altuve than Judge and he'll go in the first round.
Drew Burress tied the Georgia high school record for RBIs as a Houston County junior with 73, and he broke a Georgia Tech record with four home runs in a game Feb. 27, 2024.
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
