1. Early life and amateur career
Emmanuel Burriss's early life and educational background laid the foundation for his baseball career, which was further developed during his collegiate years before he was drafted into professional baseball.
1.1. Childhood and education
Emmanuel Allen Burriss was born on January 17, 1985, in Washington, D.C., to his parents Allen and Denise. His mother was employed by Washington's Department of Employment Services and was also an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she facilitated "serenity yoga workshops" as part of an independent ministry.
Burriss grew up in the Shaw neighborhood of D.C. He attended St. Ann's Catholic Elementary School. Despite residing in the district of Cardozo High School, he chose to attend Woodrow Wilson High School, graduating in 2003, due to the superior baseball opportunities it offered. At Woodrow Wilson, he participated in both basketball and baseball. When he made his MLB debut in 2008, Burriss became the first MLB player to graduate from the Washington, D.C. public school system since catcher Willie Royster, who played four games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1981. In 2014, Dave McKenna of The Washington Post recognized Burriss as "the best player to come out of D.C. schools since Los Angeles Dodger great Maury Wills".
1.2. College baseball and draft
Burriss pursued his college baseball career at Kent State University (KSU) in Kent, Ohio. In 2005, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was recognized as a league All-Star. His exceptional performance contributed to the Cardinals' season championship, earning him co-Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in the playoffs.
During his 2006 season with KSU, Burriss was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. He led the conference with 70 runs scored and led all NCAA Division I players with 42 stolen bases. Over his 158-game career at Kent State, Burriss maintained a batting average of .325 and scored 146 runs. His college coach, Scott Stricklin, was particularly impressed by Burriss's natural quickness and keen baseball instincts. Following his successful collegiate career, the San Francisco Giants selected Burriss in the first round (33rd overall pick) of the 2006 MLB Draft.
2. Professional playing career
Emmanuel Burriss's professional baseball journey spanned several organizations, including significant time in Major League Baseball (MLB) and extensive experience in the minor leagues across various teams.
2.1. San Francisco Giants (2006-2012)
Burriss commenced his professional career in 2006 with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in the Single-A short season Northwest League. In 65 games, he achieved a batting average of .307. He led the league with 35 stolen bases, ranked third with 50 runs scored (tied with Tyler Colvin), and fourth with 78 hits.
In 2007, Burriss started the year with the Single-A advanced San Jose Giants of the California League, but after batting .166 in 36 games, he was demoted to the Augusta GreenJackets of the Single-A South Atlantic League. With Augusta, he was named a postseason all-star, batting .321 with 64 runs scored and 117 hits in 89 games. He accumulated a combined 68 stolen bases across both teams, the highest total within the Giants' organization that year. Following the regular season, Burriss played 17 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League (AFL), where he batted .365 and stole eight bases. Although he had been used exclusively as a shortstop in his first two regular seasons, he began playing second base in the AFL.
Heading into the 2008 season, Baseball America rated Burriss as the Giants' tenth best prospect and their fastest baserunning prospect. He did not make the Giants' roster out of spring training but was called up from the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies on April 20 after shortstop Brian Bocock struggled. Burriss made his MLB debut on the same day, replacing Bocock at shortstop in the ninth inning of an 8-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. On September 26, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pinch-ran for Bengie Molina on a play that was initially ruled a single. However, instant replay review revealed Molina had hit a home run, and because Burriss had already entered the game, he was credited with the run scored. He concluded his rookie season with a .283 batting average in 95 games and was subsequently sent to the 2008 Arizona Fall League to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions again.
During the 2009 spring training, Burriss competed with Kevin Frandsen for the starting second baseman position and was named the starter on April 1. Brian Sabean, the Giants' general manager, praised Burriss's "very solid" all-around play and his "tremendous spring." On June 4, Burriss was playing second base when Randy Johnson achieved his 300th career win against the Washington Nationals, with Burriss's RBI single in the second inning securing the game-winning RBI. Despite this, he was sent down to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies on June 16, after batting .238 with a .292 on-base percentage and .267 slugging percentage in 61 games, in favor of Matt Downs. On July 5, 2009, Burriss fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot while rounding second base at Fresno, which ended his season.
Burriss refractured the same foot during spring training in 2010. He returned to play late in the 2010 season with Fresno and was called up to the Giants once the Grizzlies' season concluded, though he was not included on the Giants' postseason roster. In 2011, he appeared in 59 games for the Giants, splitting his time between the Major League club and Fresno. In 2012, Burriss again made the Giants out of Spring Training, but on July 28, 2012, he was designated for assignment. He was subsequently re-added to the Giants' roster on September 4, 2012, and finished the year in the Major Leagues. After the season, he was sent outright to the Fresno Grizzlies, which prevented him from being eligible for arbitration. On November 8, 2012, Burriss elected free agency.
2.2. Cincinnati Reds (2013)
On November 21, 2012, Burriss signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, which included an invitation to spring training. During the 2013 spring training, he vied with Jason Donald and César Izturis for the final reserve position on Cincinnati's roster. Ultimately, the Reds added Izturis to their roster on March 31 and reassigned Burriss to the minor leagues. He played 108 games for the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the International League, where he batted .241 with 32 runs scored, 89 hits, one home run, 24 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. On November 4, he became a free agent.
2.3. Washington Nationals (2014-2015)
On December 19, 2013, Burriss signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. In 2014, he played for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. On November 10, he re-signed a minor league deal with the Nationals. His contract was purchased by the Nationals on June 26, 2015, when Anthony Rendon was placed on the disabled list. He made five plate appearances, which were his first in the major leagues since 2012, and recorded two hits and two walks. He accepted an outright assignment back to Syracuse on July 28, 2015, following the return of Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman from the disabled list. Burriss elected free agency immediately after the 2015 season on October 13.
2.4. Philadelphia Phillies (2016)
On November 18, 2015, Burriss signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, which included an invitation to 2016 spring training. His contract was selected on April 2, 2016, placing him on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster. On June 1, Burriss was designated for assignment by the Phillies. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs on June 4. Burriss was recalled by the Phillies on August 19. In 39 games with the team, he recorded 5 hits in 45 at-bats (.111 batting average) with no home run or RBI. On October 7, Burriss was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He elected free agency on October 15.
2.5. Second stint with Nationals and Angels (2016-2018)
On December 13, 2016, Burriss signed a minor league contract to return to the Washington Nationals organization, receiving an invitation to 2017 spring training. He spent the 2017 season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, where he hit .253 with a .283 on-base percentage and a .274 slugging percentage, recording no home runs and 18 RBI in 42 games. Burriss elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.
On February 7, 2018, Burriss signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. However, he never played a game in the Angels organization. After participating in the Dominican winter league, he retired from professional baseball.
3. Coaching career
Following his playing career, Emmanuel Burriss transitioned into coaching. In 2019, he began serving as a roving hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Since 2022, he has been the hitting coach for the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Oklahoma City Dodgers. His role as hitting coach for the Oklahoma City Dodgers was officially announced on February 25, 2024.
4. Personal life
Emmanuel Burriss is a Christian. During his playing career, he was known to perform the sign of the cross before batting.
5. Career statistics
| Year | Team | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | SB | CS | BB | HBP | SO | SH | SF | GDP | Avg | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SF | 95 | 274 | 240 | 37 | 68 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 79 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 7 | .283 | .357 | .329 | .686 | |
| 2009 | SF | 61 | 220 | 202 | 18 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 3 | .238 | .292 | .267 | .560 | |
| 2010 | SF | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .400 | .400 | .400 | .800 |
| 2011 | SF | 59 | 152 | 137 | 14 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 2 | .204 | .253 | .212 | .465 | |
| 2012 | SF | 60 | 150 | 136 | 15 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 6 | .213 | .270 | .221 | .491 | |
| 2015 | WSH | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .800 | .667 | 1.467 | |
| 2016 | PHI | 39 | 50 | 45 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | .111 | .184 | .178 | .361 | |
| MLB: 7 years | 326 | 856 | 768 | 92 | 182 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 204 | 42 | 41 | 15 | 57 | 3 | 13 | 111 | 19 | .237 | .300 | .266 | .565 | ||