Chase Burns' pro debut proves Reds made a laughable decision with their top prospect

It took about 10 months, but Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Chase Burns finally made his professional debut this week against the West Michigan Whitecaps. Burns, Cincinnati's first-round selection in last year's MLB Draft, went four innings and allowed just one hit while striking out six batters and walking one in his first official start as a member of the Reds organization.

But there was just one problem — Burns made it look too easy. The right-hander was utterly dominant in his first start of the season for the Dayton Dragons. Burns was in control the entire game, and repeatedly pumped in strikes with 38 of his 57 pitches landing in the zone.

In fact, Max Clark, one of the most highly-touted prospects in all of baseball, struck out swinging in his first at-bat against Burns and looked foolish doing it. Burns simply overpowered Clark with his fastball-slider combination and sat down the Detroit Tigers' top prospect on just four pitches for his first professional strikeout.

Chase Burns' pro debut proves Reds top prospect belongs in Double-A

Burns debut proved one thing — almost any batter that's going to face him at the High-A level will be overmatched. While the Reds took the exact same approach with Rhett Lowder last season, there's no reason to allow Burns to just beat up on lower-level competition. It's time to throw him into the fire and let him compete against opposing hitters who'll at least have a fighting chance against the flame-throwing righty.

Burns' next outing will likely come on Thursday or Friday when the Fort Wayne TinCaps visit DayAir Ballpark for a date with the Dragons. If Burns has the same type of success in his next start, it's time for the Reds to promote their top prospect to Double-A Chattanooga.

Allowing young prospects to get their feet wet in the minor leagues rather than just rocketing them up through the farm system at a break-neck pace is not the worst thing in the world. But in order for Burns to reach his full potential, he needs to battle the type of competition that can match his level of production. He's unlikely to find that in A-Ball.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors