Luvofthegame
09-12-2006, 09:48 PM
Philadelphia Daily News
By MARCUS HAYES
9/12/06
Pat Burrell could change his stance, but, hey, his .250 batting average doesn't seem to bother him that much.
Burrell could see a sports psychologist, but, hey, he says he can handle a third disappointing season in his last four.
Burrell also could ask for a trade. Hey, there's a thought. Right now, as his profile shrinks daily, Burrell agreeing to a trade seems more likely to happen than changing his swing or visiting a sports psychologist.
He was asked Sunday whether his diminished role would lead him to waive his no-trade clause and have the Phillies seek to move him and the remaining 2 years and $27 million on his contract. The Phillies have shopped him since the end of last season, but no teams he would go to bit for the whole contract. While maintaining he would prefer to stay in Philadelphia, Burrell, 29, has never sounded so agreeable to a possible deal.
"I'm not even thinking about that right now," he said. "We're in the middle of a wild-card race." It is a race in which he is hurting the Phillies, so he is being marginalized. Burrell sees what everyone sees.
He has batted sixth the past three games. He's guaranteed to start only against lefthanded pitchers. When he batted fifth four starts ago, he was pinch-hit for by contact hitter Joe Thurston with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game - so that Thurston could bunt.
Burrell is 3-for-23 with one RBI in September. From the way manager Charlie Manuel is using him, the team appears to be sending Burrell a message: You want to stay? Then prepare to be embarrassed.
"No. No. No. I know exactly what you're getting at," Manuel said, acknowledging the appearances. He will probably bench Burrell for a game or two in Atlanta this week, but, he insists, "All I want is to get Pat hitting."
To that end, Manuel, a power-hitting guru, has some ideas to fix Burrell's stiff-legged, head-pulling, back-knee-buckling swat. Furthermore, these days, Burrell can't recognize inside fastballs for strikes; anything 90 mph on the inside corner gets him backing off, locking his knees, as if he's going to get hit.
"He could bend his knees. Be more balanced. Bring his hips into his swing. He looks stiff," Manuel said.
Burrell seems resistant to the suggestions. "He's got to be open to change," Manuel said. Maybe, first, he has to think something is fundamentally wrong with his swing. All season, Burrell hasn't hit the way the Phillies hoped he would.
Burrell hasn't seen .270 since June 2. He has 24 homers and 84 RBI, but is hitting only .226 with runners in scoring position, .157 with runners in scoring position with two out. Only two of his homers and only seven of his 23 doubles have come with runners in scoring position.
Manuel and Burrell point to his pace for about 100 fewer at-bats than normal - a situation created by both Burrell's struggles and his chronically aching right foot. Both note that, with a normal season's at-bats, Burrell projects to a healthy 32 homers, same as last season's satisfying total, and 112 RBI.
Add 20 points to his average, though, and maybe he's at those numbers now. Not according to Pat the Bat.
"It's not that big of a deal" as long as his production rate is acceptable, Burrell said. It appears to be a pretty big deal to everyone who watches him flail. Phillies fans have long since soured on Burrell, the first overall pick from the 1998 draft who is making $9.5 million this season.
Asked whether the relentless booing at Citizens Bank Park affects him, Burrell said that, yes, it finally has cracked through the protective shell he grew as he fell out of favor three seasons ago. "It's tough not to notice," Burrell said. "You obviously hear them."
Maybe a sports psychologist could help. "He definitely puts a lot of pressure on himself. Some of it is definitely mental," Manuel said. "But it's up to the guy. Some guys accept that. Some guys like it."
Burrell balked at the idea. "No," he said - not that anyone would ever know he saw someone. "To me, that's personal." Besides, he said, "I've been there before. I've had worse." Not in Philadelphia. After his breakout 2002 season, Burrell hit .209 in 2003. Fans were generally sympathetic.
That season spurred a meeting of Larry Bowa, Manuel and Burrell at the team's spring-training site 3 weeks before regulars were due to report. Bowa was the manager then; Manuel, a front-office adviser. For 4 days, the trio worked on Burrell's swing - not to change it, just to smooth it out.
Burrell responded with a .257 average in 2004, a season interrupted for a month by a wrist injury that occasionally still flares up. Burrell insists that the wrist is not a chronic problem.
Obviously, his right foot is. Burrell played with a bone spur and a loose body in his foot, a problem that developed in 2004 and worsened in '05, though he hit .281 last year. Offseason foot surgery seemed to cure the problem, but as soon as spring-training games began, the pain resurfaced, especially when Burrell ran the bases and played leftfield.
Manuel also thinks Burrell's foot affects him in the batter's box. In the past, Burrell said it didn't. Now, he acknowledges it does. "It's definitely had an affect," Burrell said. "There's good days and bad days." He might have another operation after this season: "Anything's an option."
If the foot is not repaired, Manuel cannot see Burrell contributing consistently. On his best day, Burrell, whose accurate, strong arm is not a liability, is the Phillie least capable of making a catch.
"He fits in this organization, but we've got to find some device, some way, to fix his foot," Manuel said.
Nineteen games remain. They spell Burrell's legacy as a Phillie, the end of a journey that began so promisingly, continued through 2002 and has since stalled after he signed a 6-year, $50 million contract after that season.
Maybe it's his foot. Maybe it's his head. Maybe it's his swing. Maybe, in a few months, it won't matter.
By MARCUS HAYES
9/12/06
Pat Burrell could change his stance, but, hey, his .250 batting average doesn't seem to bother him that much.
Burrell could see a sports psychologist, but, hey, he says he can handle a third disappointing season in his last four.
Burrell also could ask for a trade. Hey, there's a thought. Right now, as his profile shrinks daily, Burrell agreeing to a trade seems more likely to happen than changing his swing or visiting a sports psychologist.
He was asked Sunday whether his diminished role would lead him to waive his no-trade clause and have the Phillies seek to move him and the remaining 2 years and $27 million on his contract. The Phillies have shopped him since the end of last season, but no teams he would go to bit for the whole contract. While maintaining he would prefer to stay in Philadelphia, Burrell, 29, has never sounded so agreeable to a possible deal.
"I'm not even thinking about that right now," he said. "We're in the middle of a wild-card race." It is a race in which he is hurting the Phillies, so he is being marginalized. Burrell sees what everyone sees.
He has batted sixth the past three games. He's guaranteed to start only against lefthanded pitchers. When he batted fifth four starts ago, he was pinch-hit for by contact hitter Joe Thurston with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game - so that Thurston could bunt.
Burrell is 3-for-23 with one RBI in September. From the way manager Charlie Manuel is using him, the team appears to be sending Burrell a message: You want to stay? Then prepare to be embarrassed.
"No. No. No. I know exactly what you're getting at," Manuel said, acknowledging the appearances. He will probably bench Burrell for a game or two in Atlanta this week, but, he insists, "All I want is to get Pat hitting."
To that end, Manuel, a power-hitting guru, has some ideas to fix Burrell's stiff-legged, head-pulling, back-knee-buckling swat. Furthermore, these days, Burrell can't recognize inside fastballs for strikes; anything 90 mph on the inside corner gets him backing off, locking his knees, as if he's going to get hit.
"He could bend his knees. Be more balanced. Bring his hips into his swing. He looks stiff," Manuel said.
Burrell seems resistant to the suggestions. "He's got to be open to change," Manuel said. Maybe, first, he has to think something is fundamentally wrong with his swing. All season, Burrell hasn't hit the way the Phillies hoped he would.
Burrell hasn't seen .270 since June 2. He has 24 homers and 84 RBI, but is hitting only .226 with runners in scoring position, .157 with runners in scoring position with two out. Only two of his homers and only seven of his 23 doubles have come with runners in scoring position.
Manuel and Burrell point to his pace for about 100 fewer at-bats than normal - a situation created by both Burrell's struggles and his chronically aching right foot. Both note that, with a normal season's at-bats, Burrell projects to a healthy 32 homers, same as last season's satisfying total, and 112 RBI.
Add 20 points to his average, though, and maybe he's at those numbers now. Not according to Pat the Bat.
"It's not that big of a deal" as long as his production rate is acceptable, Burrell said. It appears to be a pretty big deal to everyone who watches him flail. Phillies fans have long since soured on Burrell, the first overall pick from the 1998 draft who is making $9.5 million this season.
Asked whether the relentless booing at Citizens Bank Park affects him, Burrell said that, yes, it finally has cracked through the protective shell he grew as he fell out of favor three seasons ago. "It's tough not to notice," Burrell said. "You obviously hear them."
Maybe a sports psychologist could help. "He definitely puts a lot of pressure on himself. Some of it is definitely mental," Manuel said. "But it's up to the guy. Some guys accept that. Some guys like it."
Burrell balked at the idea. "No," he said - not that anyone would ever know he saw someone. "To me, that's personal." Besides, he said, "I've been there before. I've had worse." Not in Philadelphia. After his breakout 2002 season, Burrell hit .209 in 2003. Fans were generally sympathetic.
That season spurred a meeting of Larry Bowa, Manuel and Burrell at the team's spring-training site 3 weeks before regulars were due to report. Bowa was the manager then; Manuel, a front-office adviser. For 4 days, the trio worked on Burrell's swing - not to change it, just to smooth it out.
Burrell responded with a .257 average in 2004, a season interrupted for a month by a wrist injury that occasionally still flares up. Burrell insists that the wrist is not a chronic problem.
Obviously, his right foot is. Burrell played with a bone spur and a loose body in his foot, a problem that developed in 2004 and worsened in '05, though he hit .281 last year. Offseason foot surgery seemed to cure the problem, but as soon as spring-training games began, the pain resurfaced, especially when Burrell ran the bases and played leftfield.
Manuel also thinks Burrell's foot affects him in the batter's box. In the past, Burrell said it didn't. Now, he acknowledges it does. "It's definitely had an affect," Burrell said. "There's good days and bad days." He might have another operation after this season: "Anything's an option."
If the foot is not repaired, Manuel cannot see Burrell contributing consistently. On his best day, Burrell, whose accurate, strong arm is not a liability, is the Phillie least capable of making a catch.
"He fits in this organization, but we've got to find some device, some way, to fix his foot," Manuel said.
Nineteen games remain. They spell Burrell's legacy as a Phillie, the end of a journey that began so promisingly, continued through 2002 and has since stalled after he signed a 6-year, $50 million contract after that season.
Maybe it's his foot. Maybe it's his head. Maybe it's his swing. Maybe, in a few months, it won't matter.