Jake Burger Talks Hitting

Jake Burger has grown into a solid big league slugger. Now 30 years old and in his fourth full major league season — and his second with the Texas Rangers — the 6-foot, 230-pound first baseman has logged a 107 wRC+ and gone deep 102 times since earning regular playing time in 2023. Hitting primarily out of the four and five holes in the Rangers’ lineup, Burger currently has 23 home runs and a team-best 78 RBIs to go with a .234/.297/.421 line.

His approach is slugger-ish, yet in many ways nuanced. While he primarily goes up to the plate looking to bash, Burger is more than just a turn-and-burn guy. Placing pitchers in buckets and embracing a calm mindset, the erstwhile Missouri State University Bear has a plan every time he settles into the right-handed batter’s box.

Burger sat down for the 126th installment of our Talks Hitting series when the Rangers visited Chicago to take on the White Sox last week.

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David Laurila: What have you learned about hitting over the years?

Jake Burger: “More than anything, it’s about your mentality in the box. It’s about who can be almost bored, in a sense. If you’re trying to live up to a name, or a situation, you’re going to be less bored than the pitcher. When you can control your emotions a little bit and be almost bored in the box, you’re going to control situations better. You’re going to calm your mind a little bit.”

Laurila: Bored is an interesting way to put it.

Burger: “That might be the wrong word, but for lack of a better one, yeah. If a pitcher is in a big situation and he’s anxious about how his slider is feeling, or whatever it might be, he’s going to be less bored than the hitter. He might walk him or make a mistake over the plate. That’s something that, over time… I actually learned this from Joe Kelly. If you can be calmer and more relaxed than your counterpart, more times than not, you’re going to win that battle.”

Laurila: That’s interesting. Kelly has never struck me as being especially calm.

Burger: “He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and his personality on the mound is intimidating — he wants to come after you — but in his mind, he’s actually calm.”

Laurila: Some years ago in a Talks Hitting interview, Justin Foscue told me that, contrary to what is typically said, good hitting can beat good pitching. Do you feel that’s a valid opinion?

Burger: “I think so. You can have one of the best guys in the world on the mound, but if you’re in the right position, on time, and know what your approach is in that given at-bat… I mean, he still has to throw a strike. If you won’t chase outside of the zone, you can beat him. If you have nine guys in the lineup who are super convicted, knowing who they are as a hitter and what their approach is that night, I think that beats a good pitcher.

“If you look at a lineup that one through nine is grinding out at-bats — you’re a pesky team that is going to foul off pitches and wait for a mistake — that is going to lead to success more often than not. Regardless of the name on the mound.”

Laurila: Are you a grinder, or more just a thumper? And are those two things mutually exclusive?

Burger: “I think they can be cohesive. When I’m confident about what I can do that night — where my move is, what my approach is — I can have an at-bat where I swing 0-0 and hit a homer, but also recognize when I’m not getting that pitch and can keep fouling balls off, working that at-bat.”

Laurila: To what extent can hitters intentionally foul off tough pitches?

Burger: “I think it depends on who the hitter is. I’m basically trying to drive a pitch every single time, but if you’re more of a bat-to-ball kind of guy, you more have the ability to be able to foul off pitches. Some of Brandon Nimmo’s at-bats, it seems like he is purposely fouling pitches off, trying to get that pitch count up.”

Laurila: It has been said that you can’t think in the batter’s box. At the same time, adjustments are often needed pitch to pitch, and that requires thought. How do you approach that paradox?

Burger: “You can think when you step outside of the box, but once you step back in, you kind of need to just let everything go. When I find myself thinking in the box, that’s when I start chasing more and having worse outcomes with bat to ball. But you should be able to know what your approach is, what the situation is, what the at-bat is telling you, what [the opposing team] is telling you throughout a series. So you don’t really need to be thinking a lot. You’re probably better off not doing too much thinking.”

Laurila: How many different pitchers did you face last night? Was it three?

Burger: “It might have been four. Let’s see. I faced Anthony Kay twice, Jordan Hicks once, Bryan Hudson once, and Hagen Smith once.”

Laurila: Did you mostly have the same approach throughout the game, or were there different approaches for each of the guys you faced?

Burger: “I kind of tailor my approach to buckets. It could be a left-handed pitcher who has a weird slot and throws sinkers and sweepers, or it could be a left-handed pitcher who throws four-seamers and curveballs. It could be a right-handed pitcher who throws sinkers and sliders, or one who throws mostly four-seamers. I bucket guys more so than having an approach against individual pitchers. I know what works for me against buckets, and I tailor my approach to those different buckets.”

Laurila: Did any two pitchers you faced last night fall into the same bucket?

Burger: “I think Kay and Smith were a close bucket. The other two, not so much. Hicks is obviously a power sinker — he’s also the only righty I faced — and then Hudson is kind of an outlier with a weird arm slot and high extension. He gets ride from his low slot, and then with the amount of extension he gets it feels like he’s releasing the ball right on top of you. His 92 [mph] feels more like 96.”

Laurila: Who is the most unique pitcher you’ve faced this year?

Burger: “It would have to be Tyler Rogers with Toronto. He’s throwing literally from the ground. I’ve faced him in the past, when he was in San Francisco, and he’s definitely a unique one. The velo isn’t huge, but you’re used to seeing pitchers from over the top and now you’re seeing someone from way down low.”

Laurila: To what extent does that require a different approach?

Burger: “So I used to struggle against sidearm guys. My eyes would always go from the pitcher’s ear to the throwing window, and trying to do that with sidearm guys… it’s obviously a big difference being at, say, a 90 degree angle as opposed to up by the ear. One of my coaches told me the best way to do it — and it feels uncomfortable the first few times you do it — is to stare at the glove. That’s because the glove ends up being where the slot typically comes out of. The glove ends up being close to the window that you want to look in.”

Laurila: Any final thoughts?

Burger: “If anybody reading this is aspiring to be a professional hitter, more than anything, don’t chase your weaknesses so much as you need to chase your strengths. We can’t really re-create the wheel. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and the more you focus on your weaknesses, the less likely it is that your strength is going to come out consistently. When you hone in on your strength, be convicted in your strength, and then bring that approach to the plate to match up with whichever pitcher you’re facing. That’s going to lead to more success than by being mediocre at both. Be what you’re good at. Know what you’re good at and hone it. This game is too hard to chase rabbit holes left and right. Keeping it simple and knowing who you are as a player is the key to having consistent success.”

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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can found through these links: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Max Clark, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Brenton Del Chiaro, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Gino Groover, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Bryce Harper, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers, Walker Jenkins, Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Shea Langeliers, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Dillon Lawson, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Joey Loperfido, Michael Lorenzen, Mark Loretta, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Kevin McGonigle, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Paul Molitor, Colson Montgomery, Tre’ Morgan, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Thomas Saggese, Anthony Santander, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., James Tibbs III, Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Ryan Waldschmidt, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis