Blake William Burke (born June 11, 2003) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

in the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

organization.

Amateur career

Burke grew up in

Brentwood, California Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 66,854 as of 2022, an increase of 287% from 23,302 at ...

and attended De La Salle High School in

Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...

. He batted .554 with 32 RBI as a senior. Burke committed to play college baseball at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

. Burke batted .326 during his freshman season with the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

and set a freshman record with 14 home runs. After the season, he played summer collegiate baseball for the Healdsburg Prune Packers of the California Collegiate League. Burke hit .280 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI as a sophomore. During his junior season he set a Tennessee record with a 31-game hitting streak.

Professional career

Burke was drafted by the

in the 1st round, with the 34th overall selection, of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. On July 23, 2024, Burke signed with Milwaukee on a $2.1 million contract.

References

External links

Tennessee Volunteers bio
Living people Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Contra Costa County, California De La Salle High School (Concord, California) alumni Tennessee Volunteers baseball players 2003 births Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players 21st-century American sportsmen {{Baseball-first-baseman-stub