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LAKE MARY, Fla.- In the 20-year history of the Florida Collegiate Summer League, only one player had even won the same FCSL award in back-to-back seasons. The only player in that club was Drew Peden, who was Reliever of the Year in 2016 and 2017 for Leesburg.

 

Drew, make room for Jacob Burr.

 

Burr, who will head to Rollins College for his next season of college baseball, is the 2023 recipient of the Florida League's Pitcher of the Year Award, making him the first player ever to repeat as the winner of the league's top pitching award. The Pitcher of the Year is selected via a vote of league staff, coaches, and scorekeepers.

 

After switching over from the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs to the Orlando Snappers, Burr continued to show why he is one of the best pitchers in the Florida League's 20-year history. Burr threw more than ten innings more than any other pitcher in the FCSL, logging 49 innings with an earned run average of 2.02. Burr also led the Florida League in strikeouts with 50, besting the nearest competitor by a dozen punchouts.

 

Burr was the winning pitcher in four of his eight appearances, which also was tops in the Florida League. Burr's wins including victories in three straight starts in June, where the Orlando native combined to allow just one earned run over 21 innings. Burr earned wins over Winter Garden, Winter Park, and DeLand in that stretch, striking out 22 hitters with just four walks.

 

The former Webber International Warrior remained one of the league's best throughout the season. Burr never pitched less than four innings in any of his starts, and allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his eight appearances. Burr showed remarkable command of the strike zone in 2023, countering his 50 strikeouts for the Snappers with just 12 walks.

 

A member of the Florida League All-Star, Prospect Games, and BananaBall rosters, Burr's final start of the season was his most important. Making his 32nd Florida League appearance, Burr tossed 6.2 scoreless innings against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs on the final day of the regular season, leading a 4-0 victory that ensured Orlando's place in the Florida League Playoffs.

 

The 2023 season was Burr's fifth in the Florida League. Burr previously played for the Seminole County Scorpions in 2018, the Winter Garden Squeeze in 2019-20, the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs in 2022 and the Orlando Snappers this season. Given his longevity in the league and his spot as the lone two-time Pitcher of the Year, Burr has more than established himself as one of the top pitchers in the history of the Florida League.