This season was a whirlwind for Jake Burger.
The third-year slugger was traded to the Miami Marlins just hours before the deadline in an unexpected move by the Chicago White Sox front office on Aug. 1.
Thrust into a turbulent National League Wild Card race, there was little time for proper farewells or an earnest reflection on his six-and-a-half years with the organization that drafted him.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
This week, Jake Burger posted a 10-minute video to social media expressing gratitude for the this past season and the journey that led him to the major leagues.
"I didn't post [on social media] when I first got traded," Burger said. "I didn't post a thank you to Chicago, to the organization or to the fans because, you know, I was heading into Miami and we were in a wild card race, and I didn't want to think too much about anything else. So this is my thank you to all the Chicago fans that stuck with me. It was my home for parts of the last three seasons, and it was my only home organizationally until I got traded. I spent six-and-a-half years in the organization, so to all the people that made that possible, I just want to say thank you.
"It was obviously a crazy journey through the organization. Getting drafted in the first round, and then tearing my Achilles the next spring training and having three seasons of not played baseball. And the fans stuck with me, the front office stuck with me. And I just want to thank you all for that. And even my friends that are still in Chicago, thank you for being you, and I'm so honored to have gotten to meet you guys, play with you guys and learn the game with you guys."
White Sox News
Burger has been vocal about how much the support from White Sox fans and the organization meant to him over his difficult journey to the majors. It's no surprise he wanted to let the dust settle and give himself time to craft a thoughtful statement about his time in Chicago.
In the video, Burger referenced his brutal recovery from two catastrophic leg injuries that caused the slugger to miss two full years of competitive minor league play.
Burger made his White Sox debut on July 2, 2021 against the Detroit Tigers, and went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. After the game, Burger tearfully admitted that he had considered quitting baseball several times over the course of his lengthy rehabilitation and explained that the reason he didn't was because his parents said he would regret it. Burger said, "they were right."
In 53 games with the Marlins last season, Burger smacked nine home runs, 13 doubles and drove in 28 runs with a .303/.355/.505 slash line.
Burger helped Miami reach post season, but the team ultimately fell short in the Wild Card Series in a two-game sweep by the Philadelphia Phillies.