Padres Farm System Manager Interview: Brian Burres

LAKE ELSINORE — Brian Burres, 44, is in his third year with the San Diego Padres organization and has just completed his first season as the manager of the Lake Elsinore Storm. 

Burres is from Gresham, Oregon, where he was a two-way star in high school as an outfielder and pitcher before going to Mount Hood Community College. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 31st round of the 2000 MLB Draft and decided to go pro.

The left-hander pitched professionally for 13 years, including parts of six seasons in the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Giants, and three seasons in Taiwan, Mexico, and Venezuela.

This year, he had some of the top prospects in the San Diego organization, particularly pitchers Kash Mayfield, Kannon Kemp, and Bryan Balzer. Also, he lost some of the better talent in the organization with the trade of Boston Bateman, Cobb Hightower, Victor Figueroa, and Tanner Smith to the Orioles for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano.

We caught up with him in Lake Elsinore to talk about his first year in the California League.

MadFriars:  You joined the Padres in 2023 in Fort Wayne.  How did you first get there?

Brian Burres:  I first got started as the fifth coach out there.  I came to the interview for the job, and they want to get an idea of your skill set.  Since I had just finished playing, my arm still worked well. We had some big left-handed hitting prospects at the time [Jackson Merrill, Jakob Marsee, and Nathan Martorella], so I was able to throw BP, and I ended up working with the catchers and being in the bullpen during the game. 

Then last season, I was one of the pitching coaches in the ACL, and then I got here. 

We asked Pete Zamora this a few years ago when he was in your position in Lake Elsinore. Most pitchers don’t become managers.  Did you see this role for yourself after you finished playing?

Brian Burres: I probably said that I didn’t want to do it, but then, after a lot of conversations with people that I knew and trusted, I realized that it might be a role that I would like to try.

In high school, you were also an all-state outfielder.  Were you a two-way player at Mount Hood College?

Brian Burres: I played a little in the outfield because we had a lot of double-headers.  I might start the first game and then DH in the second.  I enjoyed doing it, but on the hitting side, I wasn’t good enough to compete at the professional level.

You’ve got to work with the Padres’ top draft pick in 2024, Kash Mayfield.  What did you like this year, and what do you hope he can accomplish next season in Fort Wayne?

Brian Burres: I’ve just seen a lot of growth on the mound, especially in the confidence that he exudes out there.  You watch him, and he looks like he is going to get outs.  He’s very cool and collected out there, but you can see the fire when he gets in the dugout.

As for what I hope to see, it’s generic. When you go up, you can afford to make fewer mistakes. He can spray his fastball every once in a while, and his command on all of his pitches will need to pick up because there is less margin for error.  To me, the fastball command is always the biggest because that is the pitch you are going to throw the most.

Kannon Kemp pitched his first full season this year and was one of the Padres’ top draft picks in 2023, having missed a significant amount of time due to injury.  What did you see?

Brian Burres: There was a lot of growth for him this season. There is still more with the velocity, as he can get on the mound some more.  His velocity has been ticking up all season.  To me, he’s going to get better each time he touches the mound.  The velocity will improve, and more importantly, the consistency of all of his pitches will improve. 

You also have to work with Humberto Cruz for a while.

Brian Burres:  He’s another pitcher with some major talent, but he’s going to miss some time since he just had surgery on his elbow.  From what I saw, I really liked his delivery; it was silky smooth, and he had a good feel for his slider and changeup.  I hope he can come back from his surgery and get right back where he was, because the talent is there. 

The last pitcher is Bryan Balzer, who was an interesting sign by San Diego out of Japan before he underwent Tommy John surgery. In high school, he was mainly a first baseman and outfielder, so this has to be a significant jump.

Brian Burres: Yes, he is still learning how to pitch, but it is also a huge arm. He’s been up to 100 more than a few times, so that will work.  As for the on-field baseball stuff, yeah, he is still learning, and it is a process, but he has made a significant amount of growth this year. He’s a very hard worker, and I think he’s going to get there. 

If he doesn’t, it won’t be due to a lack of effort.  There is some real talent in that arm; right now, it’s just about honing it.

Let’s hit a few position players.  Kale Fountain also underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason and had a late start to arrive at Lake Elsinore.

What have you seen?

Brian Burres: He’s another guy who will grind it for you.  He really puts in the work.  With the Tommy John surgery in his rear view, a lot of things with him were about workload management and having him at first base or DH. Offensively, there is some power in that bat, and sometimes it just takes guys a little longer to get there.

We briefly discussed Alex McCoy last night, who is a very large individual, standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 280 pounds.

Brian Burres: Alex is a fun guy, and he’s athletic, and you don’t have to say, ‘he’s athletic for his size,‘ he’s just athletic. A really friendly kid that we signed last year as an undrafted free agent, who has come a long way from being a talented, but raw talent, into an athletic baseball player.  He’s really starting to put it together. 

He’s a good outfielder in the corners and can even play a little bit of center.  I think he could also play first base.

What are the most and least surprising things about being a manager?

Brian Burres: The main thing is how many people you need to be in communication with during the day. You are kind of the hub of the team.  It’s not bad, a text here and there, but making sure that the texts get out in a timely fashion. 

What has been a big help is just the great staff that I have here, who have all been fantastic.  That has been huge for helping me to learn this role.