CHICAGO -- It wasn't until Jake Burger's sophomore year of high school in Missouri when he decided to crack down and focus on baseball over hockey.
The White Sox, who selected Burger with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, are glad he selected the diamond over the ice. Burger is ranked as the No. 10 third base prospect in the game per the newest list released by MLB Pipeline on Tuesday.
"He's in good shape. He looks strong," White Sox director of player development Chris Getz said. "The ball is loud coming off of his bat. I think he's going to open some eyes this season. I know he's excited for Spring Training to begin."
:: Top 10 Prospects by Position ::
Hitting the baseball for Burger, 21, shouldn't be an issue according to his early profile. Over 51 games and 194 at-bats during the 2017 season for Class A Kannapolis and the Arizona Rookie League White Sox, Burger produced a .263 average with a .749 OPS. He knocked out five home runs, 10 doubles and finished with 29 RBIs.
There's also a strong belief within the organization in Burger's ability to stay at third defensively. He worked diligently at the position during instructional league action in Arizona and then moved to Arizona during the offseason to continue that work.
"I love it over there and it has been going well for me," Burger said during an instructional league interview regarding third base. "It's just been a ton of reps, which I love. That's how you get better at defense, having that many reps."
MLB Pipeline ranked the Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. No. 1 among third-base prospects. He's followed by Nick Senzel of the Reds, Miguel Andujar of the Yankees, Michael Chavis of the Red Sox, Christian Arroyo of the Rays, Austin Riley of the Braves, Ryan Mountcastle of the Orioles, Colton Welker of the Rockies, Brian Anderson of the Marlins and Burger.
Michael Kopech, who received a non-roster invite to White Sox Spring Training like Burger, was ranked No. 3 by MLB Pipeline among right-handed pitchers. Zack Collins, who also will be part of the 2018 White Sox big league camp, checked in at No. 9 among catchers.