Gregory Francis Burke (born September 21, 1982) is an American former

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He attended Duke University, and played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Born in the Marlton section of

Evesham Township, New Jersey Evesham Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 46,826, an increase of 1,288 from the 2010 census count of 45,538, ...

, Burke played prep baseball at

Gloucester Catholic High School Gloucester Catholic High School is a co-educational six-year Roman Catholic high school located in Gloucester City, in Camden County, New Jersey. The school is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school serves students in se ...

Amateur career

Burke was selected by the

in the 42nd round (1262nd overall) of the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

, but opted to play at Duke University from until .

Professional career

San Diego Padres

On February 27, 2006, Burke signed a minor league deal with the

out of tryout camp. He played with the

Atlantic City Surf The Atlantic City Surf were a professional minor league baseball team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Surf was most recently a member of the Can-Am League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Surf played its home games ...

, then of the Atlantic League in 2005. Burke split the 2006 season with Single-A Fort Wayne, then the Wizards, and High-A

Lake Elsinore Lake Elsinore is a natural freshwater lake in Riverside County, California, located east of the Santa Ana Mountains and fed by the San Jacinto River. Originally named ''Laguna Grande'' by Spanish explorers, it was renamed for the town of Elsino ...

. Burke started at Lake Elsinore, where in 12 games, he had a 5.79 ERA as a reliever. He was then demoted to Fort Wayne, where as a starter, he went 6–5 with a 3.58 ERA while striking out 87 in 120.2 innings. Burke spent all of 2007 with Lake Elsinore, pitching 4–4 with a 5.23 ERA while striking out 67 in 96.1 innings pitched. Burke pitched 2008 with Double-A

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, where he went 2–7 with a 2.24 ERA with 23 saves while striking out 92 in 84.1 innings. He was a mid-season all star in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. Burke began 2009 with Triple-A

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, where he pitched 3–0 in 13 games with a 2.25 ERA. Burke was called up to the Padres' roster on May 15, 2009. In 48 games with the Padres, Burke pitched 3–3 with a 4.14 ERA while striking out 33. Burke spent all of 2010 with Portland, where he had a 5.68 ERA in 53 games while striking out 46. Burke spent all of 2011 with the Padres' new Triple-A affiliate,

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, where he pitched in a career-high 64 games, striking out 76 with a 5.70 ERA.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 10, 2012, Burke signed a minor league deal with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Towards the end of spring training, he was likely to be released, but he told the Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson he was experimenting with a sidearm delivery. After throwing a bullpen with him, Peterson liked what he saw, and he was given an opportunity during the season. Burke began the year with Double-A Bowie, where he had a 1.53 ERA in 23 games with 20 strikeouts and 14 saves. Burke was promoted to Triple-A

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, where he pitched 2–1 with a 1.53 ERA in 21 games with 30 strikeouts.

New York Mets

On November 7, 2012, Burke signed a minor league deal with the

with an invitation to spring training. After giving up 5 runs in 9 innings and striking out 12 in spring training, Burke made the Opening Day roster. In his first appearance, against the Padres, he gave up a run in 0.2 innings. After pitching in both games of a double-header at the Rockies on April 16, he was optioned to Triple-A

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, and was replaced by

Jeurys Familia Jeurys Familia Mojica (; born October 10, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies and the Bost ...

. In April with the Mets, he went 0–1 with a 7.36 ERA and a .303 OBA. After a month in Las Vegas, he was recalled by the Mets to replace Familia, who went on the disabled list. Burke had a very good May with the Mets, where in 8 appearances, he gave up no earned runs in 7.2 innings with a .172 OBA. He would go down and up three more times before he finished the season with the Mets in September. In 32 games, he went 0–3 with a 5.68 ERA and a .312 OBA, striking out 28 in 31.2 innings. He was outrighted off the roster on October 17, 2013, and elected free agency.

Colorado Rockies

Exactly one year after he signed a minor league deal with the Mets, Burke signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies on November 6, 2013. Burke also received offers from the New York Mets and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, but he decided to take a minor league deal with the Rockies that allowed him to join them in spring training to try and compete for a job in the bullpen. Burke played in the Blue Jays organization for the 2015 season, and elected free agency on November 6, 2015.

Philadelphia Phillies

Burke signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a minor league free agent on November 23, 2015. He was released in March 2016.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Greg 1982 births Living people San Diego Padres players New York Mets players Baseball players from Camden, New Jersey Duke Blue Devils baseball players Gloucester Catholic High School alumni Major League Baseball pitchers People from Evesham Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey Atlantic City Surf players Lake Elsinore Storm players Fort Wayne Wizards players San Antonio Missions players Portland Beavers players Tucson Padres players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Las Vegas 51s players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Peoria Saguaros players Yaquis de Obregón players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players