HENDERSONVILLE, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!
Every kid who has ever picked up a baseball in Sumner County and dreamed about making it to the big leagues might want to pay attention to this story.
Because one of our own just signed a deal worth $105 MILLION!
Former Beech High School pitching superstar Chase Burns and the Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a reported seven-year, $105 million contract extension, keeping one of Major League Baseball’s brightest young arms in Cincinnati through the 2033 season.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Seven years. $105 million.
And before Chase Burns was striking out Major League hitters, becoming an MLB All-Star, and signing one of the biggest contracts in baseball, he was taking the mound right here at Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
How cool is that?
Before the Millions, There Was Beech High School
Burns played his senior season at Beech in 2021, and calling his performance “good” would be like calling a 101-mph fastball “a pretty quick pitch.”
He was absolutely dominant.
As a senior, Burns posted an incredible 6-0 record with a 0.50 ERA, striking out 131 batters in just 56.1 innings. He helped lead the Beech Buccaneers to a 28-12 record and a state playoff appearance.
His fastball was clocked as high as 101 mph, which probably made more than a few high school hitters reconsider their life choices while standing in the batter’s box.
Burns earned major recognition for his performance, including being named a 2021 Baseball America First Team High School All-American, a TSWA Class AAA First Team All-State selection, and the Main Street Preps All-Midstate Pitcher of the Year.
Those weren’t just signs that Burns might be good someday.
They were signs that something special was happening right here in Hendersonville.
From Beech to College Baseball Stardom
After graduating from Beech, Burns took his powerful right arm to the University of Tennessee.
As a freshman with the Tennessee Volunteers, he quickly proved that high school hitters weren’t the only ones who had trouble catching up with his pitches. Burns went 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts during his freshman season and became one of the most exciting young pitchers in college baseball.
After two seasons at Tennessee, Burns transferred to Wake Forest, where his career exploded to another level.
In 2024, he set a Wake Forest single-season record with an incredible 191 strikeouts and was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year.
By that point, Major League Baseball teams weren’t wondering whether Chase Burns could pitch.
They were wondering who would get him.
The Cincinnati Reds Make Their Move
The Cincinnati Reds selected Burns with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Then came another big number.
Burns reportedly signed for a $9.25 million signing bonus, setting a record at the time for an MLB draft signing bonus.
But Chase wasn’t finished making headlines.
He quickly climbed through Cincinnati’s minor league system and made his Major League debut on June 24, 2025.
Now, just over a year later, Burns has become one of the most exciting young pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.
And the Cincinnati Reds apparently decided they didn’t want to risk letting him get away.
Chase Burns Is Putting Up HUGE Numbers
At just 23 years old, Burns has been putting together a sensational 2026 season.
Through 18 starts at the time the deal was reported, Burns had an outstanding 11-1 record with a 2.54 ERA. He had recorded 118 strikeouts against just 37 walks, while opposing hitters were batting only .206 against him.
Those numbers helped Burns earn his first MLB All-Star selection.
Think about that for a second.
A young man who was pitching for Beech High School just a few years ago is now an MLB All-Star and one of the best young pitchers in professional baseball.
The reported $105 million extension is also historic. The deal is believed to be the largest guaranteed contract in MLB history for a pitcher with fewer than four years of Major League service time.
Not bad for a former Beech Buccaneer!
Hendersonville Should Be Proud
This story is bigger than baseball.
Young athletes throughout Hendersonville and Sumner County can now look at Chase Burns and see something powerful.
They can see that someone who walked the halls of a local school, practiced on local fields, played in front of local families, and wore a Beech uniform can reach the very highest level of professional sports.
Chase Burns didn’t start his journey under the bright lights of a Major League stadium.
Part of that journey happened right here.
Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Beech High School.
The same community where thousands of young athletes are practicing today and wondering just how far their own dreams might take them.
Chase Burns is living proof that the answer could be farther than they ever imagined.
From a Buccaneer to a Cincinnati Reds Ace
The numbers tell an incredible story.
At Beech High School: 6-0 record, 0.50 ERA and 131 strikeouts during his senior season.
At Wake Forest: A school-record 191 strikeouts in one season.
2024 MLB Draft: Selected No. 2 overall by Cincinnati.
MLB debut: June 24, 2025.
2026 season: 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA through 18 starts when the extension was reported.
2026: First MLB All-Star selection.
The new deal: Seven years and $105 million.
But there is one part of the story that doesn’t show up in a box score.
Chase Burns came through Beech High School right here in Hendersonville.
So the next time you drive past a baseball field and see a young player throwing pitch after pitch while everyone else has gone home, remember this story.
The next Chase Burns could be out there right now.
For today, though, Hendersonville can celebrate one of its own.
Congratulations to Chase Burns, his family, his former coaches and everyone who helped him along the way.
From the pitcher’s mound at Beech High School to becoming a Major League Baseball All-Star with a $105 million contract, Chase Burns has given Hendersonville and Sumner County one incredible baseball story to celebrate.
