John Irving Burns (August 31, 1907 – April 18, 1975), nicknamed "Slug", was an American first baseman, coach and scout in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1936.

A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Burns stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg) in his playing days and batted and threw left-handed.

Known as "Slug", or "Slugger" on the Cambridge sandlots, Burns initially pursued factory work after high school, and played for his employer's baseball team.

Then, he joined the Boston Red Sox as a scout in 1947 to 1948 before moving into their farm system as skipper of the Bosox' Eastern League affiliates in Scranton and Albany from 1949 to 1954.

As a New England–based Red Sox scout, he is credited with recommending and signing Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk, a first-round selection in the January 1967 draft.