ERIE, Pa. -- Erie Seawolves manager Andrew Graham has seen Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Beau Burrows at his most dominant.

He's also seen him struggle.

But he's also seen plenty of games like Wednesday night, when Burrows has struggled with his command but still posted satisfying results. In Wednesday's case, that meant four walks and a hit batter (bad) but five scoreless innings (good) and an 18-1 win (even better).

"I had good stuff today. I've just got to stay within myself and make the right pitches," Burrows said afterward.

Graham has special insight into Burrows' progress because he managed Class A (Advanced) Lakeland in 2017 before moving up to Class AA Erie.

The difference in Burrows' performance at the two levels has been stark.

He blew past the competition in the Florida State League, posting a 1.23 ERA, striking out 62 and walking 11 in 58 innings.

In 184 innings at Erie, his ERA is 4.48. Of more concern is the walk rate -- four batters per nine innings -- which is more than double his ratio at Lakeland.

"At some stage in a player's career they're going to get humbled and they're going to fail," Graham said.

The way Graham sees it, it's better to do it now than in the big leagues.

That's where the Tigers expect to eventually see Burrows, a first-round draft pick (22nd overall) in 2015 out of Weatherford (Texas) High School.

The Tigers have drafted pitchers in the first round in each of the last four years. Alex Faedo (2017) is Burrows' teammate in Erie. Matt Manning (2016) and Casey Mize (2018) will be here by next year.

All of them are likely to take some lumps at least occasionally along their way to the big leagues.

"The guys who skip the minor leagues and go straight to the big leagues and stay, they're just special. There's not many of them," Graham said. "(Burrows) is still 21. He's still got a lot of learn. I understand he's a big prospect for the Tigers, but (if he had gone to college) he'd be coming out as a junior in the draft this year. He's just got to keep getting reps and experience."

Part of the apprenticeship for Burrows has been seeking out opportunities to learn. That means throwing off-speed stuff in situations that he could have easily handled with a fastball at lower levels.

"When I'm behind in the count, I try to mix one in and throw a strike and try to get the feel for it," Burrows said. "That's what I tried to do (Thursday). Some of them didn't work out."

But Graham is glad to see him trying. Because things won't get any easier as he moves up the ladder.

"With Beau, obviously his command hasn't been as great as he wanted it to be," Graham said. "Last year when I had him in Lakeland, he could dominate that league with the fastball. This year it's more of a mental game for him to fight through it and find a way to battle when he's not having command. He still gives us innings and gets through five but he hasn't been as sharp as he wanted to be and what we want him to be with all his pitches."