July 14, 2024

MLB Draft: Phillies stick to the outfield, take Virginia high schooler Griffin Burkholder with second-round pick

Burkholder is another high school outfielder with speed that the Phillies will be adding to their prospect pipeline.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Griffin-Burkholder-Phillies-2nd-Round-Pick-2024-MLB-Draft.jpg

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

High school outfield prospect Griffin Burkholder went in the second round to the Phillies at 63rd overall during the 2024 MLB Draft.

The Phillies stayed in the outfield, and the high school ranks, for their second-round pick on Sunday night, taking Virginia's Griffin Burkholder with the 63rd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Burkholder, 18, was the 54th-ranked prospect by MLB.com heading into the draft and is committed to West Virginia for college.

Like first-round pick Dante Nori, the focal point of Burkholder's game is his speed, but the right-handed hitter does have some pop in his bat that could be further tapped into over the next few years as he gets stronger and grows more into his 6'2", 195-pound frame.

Here's a look at Burkholder's swing:

‘24 Griffin Burkholder #HailWV commit (@FHSEAGLES1)

Hitting at #MidAtlProcase 99 EV 369 max distance. @ksallday19 pic.twitter.com/sNU2cscDEY
— Prep Baseball Virginia/DC (@PrepBaseballVA) August 13, 2023

With the core of their team locked in for the foreseeable future, the Phillies have been leaning more toward high school prospects and the longer-term approach with their early-round draft picks over the past few years, and Burkholder's selection Sunday night out of Virginia's Freedom High – along with Nori's in the round before – feeds further into that trend.

The Phillies will be back on the clock on Monday and then again on Tuesday for the remaining rounds 3-20 of the draft.

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