The Texas Rangers may have a new fan favorite on their hands, as the team traded for the very marketable slugger Jake Burger during the MLB Winter Meetings.
Burger, acquired in a deal with the Marlins, has four years of club control left and presents a cost-effective injection of power into the Rangers’ lineup.
Here are 10 things to know about Jake Burger, the Rangers’ newest slugger.
1. The basics
Name: Jacob Michael Burger
Born: April 10, 1996 in St. Louis, MO
College: Missouri State University
Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 230 pounds
Position: Third baseman and first baseman
2. How he got to Texas
The Rangers traded for the corner infield bat just before midnight during the MLB Winter Meetings ahead of the 2024 season. Texas sent Miami infield prospects Max Acosts, Echedry Vargas and pitching prospect Brayan Mendoza.
Burger’s cheap contract gives the Rangers flexibility to make more moves to fill out the roster and, given his positional versatility, provides more insurance at third base for the oft-injured Josh Jung. The Texas front office is also quite familiar with Burger because new special assistant to President of Baseball Operations Skip Schumaker was Burger’s manager in Miami.
3. A highly-touted prospect
Burger was overlooked out of high school and was not drafted, but made a name for himself at Missouri State University. The St. Louis native stayed close to home and tore it up in Springfield, Missouri for Missouri State.
He drove in 42 runs as a freshman and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. His sophomore year in 2016, he blasted 21 home runs and drove in 72 runs with a .349/.420/.689 slash line. His junior year, he batted .328 with 22 homers and was named the MVC Player of the Year in 2017.
4. Debut delayed by brutal injury and the pandemic
Shortly after being selected, he was invited to big league spring training in 2018. Then disaster struck.
When running to first base during an exhibition game against Oakland, he ruptured his left Achilles. Then 10 weeks after surgery, he was cleared to wear sandals and retore the tendon while stepping out of a sandal at home. The second tear meant he would not only miss the 2018 season, but also missed the 2019 season.
5. A real slugger
Burger played just 66 games at the big league level through the 2022 season, but he took off in 2023.
6. The Marlins’ Burger promotion
Burger’s name is marketable and that has certainly been capitalized on by his teams and other companies.
7. He nearly quit baseball
In a story written by the Associated Press in April 2024, Burger said he nearly quit the sport during the difficulties surrounding his Achilles tendon.
8. He attended the worst moment in Rangers history
A St. Louis native, Burger grew up a Cardinals fan. If you’re reading this, you may be connecting the dots.
A 15-year-old Burger was at Busch Stadium for Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, the night the Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series on two separate occasions. He has said he still remembers the environment when David Freese hit the walk-off homer in the 11th inning
9. A memorable homecoming
The St. Louis native had an incredible homecoming to Busch Stadium.
Though the Marlins lost their early-April game to the Cardinals by a score of 8-5, Burger showed out in his homecoming. With his family and friends in the stands, Burger blasted two home runs for his fourth multi-home run game of his career.
10. His family
Burger and his wife Ashlyn have two kids, a son named Brooks and a daughter named Penelope.
The Burger family was also featured in People Magazine when they had their daughter Penelope in October 2024. Penelope was born with Down syndrome, and the couple wanted to tell the story of how the news of Penelope’s diagnosis didn’t faze them.
