No one in red pinstripes has had a harder past six months than Pat Burrell. He's been the subject of constant scrutiny ever since Ryan Howard began hitting home runs in the second half of last season the way America's oldest brewery cranks out green bottles filled with vitamin Y.
Burrell did not offer as much lineup protection as some would like, and when the offseason began and general manager Pat Gillick created a wish list that included Alfonso Soriano, the negativity directed at Burrell only intensified without him even striking out again.
But lo and behold, after several spring training games, guess who looks pretty good swinging the bat? That's right, ol' number 5. On Sunday's game from Clearwater that was broadcasted on television, many a player on both the Phillies and the Yankees exhibited quite a bit of oxidation, but Burrell was one of the few that put together what the Beerleaguer and I thought were good, quality at-bats. Indeed, through somewhat limited action, Burrell is hitting .500 for the spring with a home run and two doubles.
While Pat the Bat was someone that appeared to be rounding into form at the plate during Sunday's game, both Weitzel and I agreed that one of the worst looking at-bats were those of Karim Garcia.
If hitting is timing, then I suspect Garcia will be late for his own funeral. On nearly every pitch, Garcia was beginning his swing and opening his hips towards the first-base side dugout while the pitcher was still fondling the rosin bag.
We won't be confused with hitting instructors any time soon, but Garcia did not look like someone that can contribute to a playoff-caliber team.
But by the same token, despite a nice start to the exhibition schedule, some of the same old problems with Burrell remain. For one, it always seems as if there is an injury of some sort that isn't bad enough to keep Burrell out of games, but yet is severe enough to warrant being treated delicately by manager Charlie Manuel and the training staff. The past two seasons, that injury has been a foot problem, but that seems to be replaced this spring by a bad back. Already, Pat has missed several games and has been left off of away games so as not to aggravate the condition on a long bus ride.
Probably what ires fans most about Burrell is what they feel to be a poor mental approach and attitude to the game. They know the talent is there, but by referring to him as the Midnight Mayor of Old City, their misgivings are revealed (to say nothing of the boos after a called third strike).
While some signs point to an improved approach by Burrell (beat writer Michael Radano has observed Burrell is standing closer to the plate), there are also signs that he hasn't changed his stripes much at all. It's been revealed that Burrell failed a recent routine eye examination that the Phillies give to their players every spring. Despite the professional opinion, Burrell is unsure that he will use corrective vision in games this season.
In the end, if Burrell hits 45 home runs and drives in 120 runs, fans won't care if he goes to the plate with a blindfold on, but on the other hand, if the trend of leading the league in called third strikes continues, don't be surprised if fans in left field create a banner with an eye chart in disgust.
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AB HR RBI BA
C Coste 8 0 1 .125
G Dobbs 18 2 7 .500
K Garcia 20 0 4 .350
