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Photo Album: Autograph Session, Q&A, and the Return of Pat Burrell

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Burrell Thanks Philly in a Full Page Ad

From today’s Philadelphia Daily News:

He’s always been known as Pat the Bat, but lately “Pat the Class Act” would be just as fitting, if not more so.

Thank you, Pat, thank you.  Thanks for not giving up when there were boos, and thanks for that double in the bottom of the seventh in Game 5.

And say hi to Elvis for us.

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[As usual, Meech has the graphic.  Since we're in the thanking mood, thanks Meech.]

Blame Elvis?

The more you think about the signing of Raul Ibanez by the Phillies, the more perplexing it gets.  Besides all the reasons laid out previously, there's also the issue of draft picks.  By signing Ibanez, the Phillies will have to forfeit their first-round draft pick in June to the Seattle Mariners.

What happened?  Did Burrell's dog Elvis take a big dump on Ruben Amaro's lawn?

I'm very curious to see how the front office spins this signing.

Your 2009 Starting Left Fielder: Raul Ibanez

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Ibanez and the Phillies have agreed to a 3-year, $30 million dollar deal.  That's a big a big contract for a guy that will be 39 years-old by the time it runs its course.  The deal also for all intents and purposes ends the Pat Burrell era in Philadelphia.

Look, Ibanez is a fine player, no mistake about it.  But the issue remains that it is hard to see how Ibanez is a good fit with the Phillies.  As I laid out last evening:

The Phillies need a right-handed, but Ibanez bats lefty.  The Phillies are worried about how Pat Burrell, 32, will age over the years of a contract, but Ibanez is 37.  One way the Phillies could improve left field is by upgrading defensively, but Ibanez is every bit as bad as Burrell.

To sum up, the Phillies need a right-handed batting, young-ish, decent fielding left fielder with moderate pop.  With the exception of the latter, Ibanez is none of those things.

Think about this for a second...  How is Charlie Manuel going to fill out his lineup card when Chase Utley returns to the field in May or so?  The three best hitters on the team will be all left-handed.

This is One Head-Scratchin' Offseason

Think back to your high school days when there was a time that everyone thought a particular car was awesome or a girl was incredibly easy on the eye, yet you didn't see it.  Despite the insistence of your friends to the contrary, the hot car did nothing for you or the girl left you cold.

When it comes to all the talk of Raul Ibanez and the Phillies, I feel the same exact way.  It's like the IROC all over again.

Replacing Pat Burrell

There's been a lot of talk lately about how slow free-agency has been.  It certainly does seem to be slow, and of course, there has to be speculation as to why.  Some are citing the economy of course, but others, including unnamed general managers, are speculating that the movement is slow on certain players because front offices are finally learning how to properly evaluate players.

Curious Strategy

As it turns out, the Phillies, last evening, elected to decline arbitration offers to both Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer.  Unless of course, the arbitration papers got lost in the mail...

Considering Arburrelltration

Monday is the deadline for teams to offer their free agents arbitration.  By most accounts, the Phillies will offer arbitration to Jamie Moyer, a no-brainer since they would probably prefer to keep him on one-year deals at this point in his career.

Pat Burrell is a different story however, and there are conflicting reports as to whether or not the Phillies will offer arbitration to him.  Todd Zolecki of the Inquirer reported this morning that the Phillies will not offer it, while Ken Mandel of MLB.com/Phillies.com reported that the Phillies will offer it.

Ironically, Rowand's Deal Might be Talking Points for Burrell's Agents

Last offseason, the talk of the town was in regards to whether or not the Phillies would be able to retain the services of Aaron Rowand, or if he would leave via free-agency.

Almost everyone assumed that Rowand, after a career year in 2007, would most likely leave.  As it turns out, that is exactly what happened.  The San Francisco Giants ponied up $60 million dollars over the course of 5 seasons, an offer the Phillies wisely declined to match.

This offseason there is a similar discussion, but this time it pertains to Pat Burrell.  Will he stay or will he go?  In both cases, the two players wanted to stay and in both cases, it was/is pretty likely that another team will come in with a can't-refuse type offer.  So the question becomes, can the Phillies offer enough to allow Burrell to turn down the insanely large offer that will surely come and still sleep at night?

If Rowand received $12 million every year for half a decade, what is Burrell worth?  Probably a lot more.  Take a look at they're park and league adjusted OPS over the last few years:

     2005 2006 2007 2008  
Burrell  128  122  127  125 
Rowand   93  86  123  94

It's not even close, Burrell is a much more productive hitter.  The difference between those two in terms of offensive production is probably in the neighborhood of 20 to 25 runs over the course of a season.

Defensively, the comparisons are harder because the two play different positions.  We know that Burrell is pretty sure-handed at everything he gets to and throws to the infield pretty well, the problem being he doesn't get to much.  Rowand, on the other hand, doesn't have much of an arm but certainly has better [if not overrated] range.  But there's no way that Burrell's defensive liabilities negate his clear advantage in offensive performance.

If I'm representing Pat Burrell, or any other outfielder this offseason, my point of reference in negotiations, over and over again will be Aaron Rowand in 2007.  Because if Rowand received that much, then even at a hometown discount, Burrell has to be worth at least, what, $50-$55 million over four years?

We know Pat wants to stay, and we know the Phillies want to keep him, but he's going to have to have a whole lot of willpower to turn down the myriad of high-priced offers that are going to come his way.

Phillies Considering Going on an Atkins Diet

Word is that the Phillies, after showing mild interest in Matt Holliday, formerly of the Colorado Rockies are now showing interest in his former teammate, Garrett Atkins.

Fortunately, the Phillies weren't interested in Holliday.  True, his performance drops significantly on the road, but the real issue is the fact that Holliday, a Scott Boras client, is nothing more than a one-year rental, destined for free-agency at the end of the season.

Serious interest in Atkins would be a mistake too.  Atkins is under control for two more seasons, so from that standpoint, he's not a problem.  But take a look at his splits and you'll see the problem.

Away from Coors Field, Atkins batted an Abe Nunez-like .233/.278./.383 in 2008.  For his career in parks less than a mile above sea level, he's batted .260/.328/.424.

Sure, that career performance is better than Pedro Feliz, but it sure as heck isn't going to make up for the possible loss of Pat Burrell.

The fact of the matter is, the Phillies really need to re-sign Pat Burrell.  Take a look at the available free-agent outfielders.  Cross off all of the left-sided batters, then cross off all the ones that aren't very good hitters.  Once you've done that, there aren't a lot of names remaining.

One is Kevin Mench, a right-handed batter who the Phillies have flirted with in the past.  He's not an everyday player, but he might make for a good platoon partner in left field.

Another interesting name is Rocco Baldelli, also someone the Phillies have kicked the tires on before.  He's one of the youngest free-agents available and has a ton of talent.  If he's healthy, if his mitochondrial myopathy can be kept in check, he might be someone to take a look at as well.  Given his health concerns, he might be a fine platoon candidate as well.

But all of these are a lot of "mights" and "maybes".  It sure would be a lot simpler if the Phillies and Pat Burrell can reach a deal both sides can live with.

Blanton and Burrell Lead the Way to the NLCS

In mid-July, Joe Blanton was traded from the Oakland A's to the Phillies.  At the time, I drew a comparison between Blanton and Pat Burrell:

Blanton for several years was a highly regarded prospect in the A's system and many expected him to become part of the stable of pitchers that would replace the excellent but pricey triumvirate of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito.  In averaging well over 200 innings pitched the last three seasons, he has certainly been a mainstay in Oakland's rotation, but by the same token, he hasn't lived up to the expectations placed upon him.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.  The Phillies very own Pat Burrell hasn't quite done that either, but he's certainly been a valuable player over the course of his career here.

Ironically, it would be those two players that would be the biggest contributors to the Phillies' 6-2 defeat of the Brewers in Game 4 of the series.

Blanton allowed only one run over seven innings and struck out 7 batters, a high total for Blanton.  Ryan Madson, who pitched two innings for the second day in a row, and Brad Lidge combined to close out the game.

Burrell blasted two home runs, and it was the three-run shot in the third inning that busted the game open.  About to become a free-agent, Burrell has been with the organization for ten years and has endured a lot on the team level and on the personal level.  He told reporters after the game, "I couldn't be more thrilled. You know, I don't think it's actually sunk in all that much yet."

As for Blanton, the Phillies gave up some of the top talent in their minor league system to get him, and throughout most of the season, a lot of people questioned whether it was worth it.

But now that Blanton pitched oneheckuva game to get the Phillies 4 more wins from the World Series, it's hard to say at this moment that it wasn't worth it.

Breaking Injury News: Pat Burrell

The beat writers that follow the Phillies are reporting that Pat Burrell left batting practice today with a sore back, but no other details seem to be available.

Maybe he should put some Vaseline on it.  Or maybe he can have his 120 lbs. English bulldog Elvis walk on it.

In all seriousness however, the Phillies are going to need Pat the Bat in October, so lets hope it's just a minor tweak.  Stay tuned.

On Burrell and Blanton

Good win last night for the Phills, very 2007-ish.  Mediocre pitching was overcome by a lot of offense and it brought them a half a game closer to the Mets in the standings.

Two thoughts regarding the Phillies, spawned by the events of last evening...

...It's seems to me that the better Jayson Werth plays, the less likely the Phillies are to bring Pat Burrell back after the season is over.

...Joe Blanton has been billed as an innings eater.  Seems to me he's gone on a diet.

Burrell's Barbs

Pat Burrell was not in today's starting lineup against the Washington Nationals and he had this to say to Michael Radano before the game [link]:

"Is that really a story?" Burrell joked. "Look, I haven't swung the bat very good. It's September and we have a couple more guys and if it helps I'm all for it. It's not saying I won't come in late as a defensive replacement so we'll see."

Two thinks make this Phillies team easy to root for.  One is their ability to come back when down and the other is the ability to not take themselves too seriously -- even when we are.

Don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

What's Pat Made of?

Over two months ago, when the Phillies were arriving in Clearwater, I polled readers on their opinion if Pat Burrell was man or machine.  At the time, word had reached Philly that as a gag, Burrell's teammates had placed t-shirts in everyone's locker with him shirtless and a caption that asked, "Pat Burrell, man or machine?"

Back then, 78% of you said "machine" while 22% though Burrell was still a human.  Since then, the season has started, and Burrell is of to a torrid pace.  He's hitting .355 with a 210 OPS+ has 8 HR and has set the franchise record for RBI in April at 25.  And counting.

Pat's also had a knack for game-winning hits, including yesterday's late-inning two-run double for a win against the Brewers.  And so now  I ask you again, is Pat Burrell man, machine, or a combination of both as Chris Coste may have postulated when I interviewed him.  Sort of like Steve Austin.  Only more expensive.

[Update:  Before I created this poll, I had not yet read Todd Zolecki's write-up of yesterday's game in the Inquirer.  Great minds think alike, Todd?]

Pat Burrell, Man or Machine?

If you've ever searched the web for photos of the Phillies, you've probably, much to your utter dismay, come across this photo:

[below the jump, not for the faint of heart]

Phillies Re-Stock, Sign Geoff Jenkins, Chad Durbin

From Langhorne's own, Jerry Crasnick:

The Philadelphia Phillies and free agent outfielder Geoff Jenkins have reached preliminary agreement on a two-year deal believed to be worth about $13 million.

Jenkins and pitcher Chad Durbin, who is also signing with the Phillies, were in Philadelphia on Thursday morning taking physical exams. The Phillies are expected to announce the agreements Thursday afternoon.

If Jenkins makes a total of 925 plate appearances in the 2008-2009 seasons or 525 plate appearances in 2009, it would trigger a $7.5 million vesting option for 2010. If the agreement fails to vest, he and the Phillies have a mutual option for the third year.

The contract also includes a six-team limited no trade provision.

"Geoff had multiple suitors in this process,'' said agent Damon Lapa. "It was a difficult choice, but this is a great opportunity for him. Philadelphia is a fantastic baseball city, that lineup is a murderer's row, and he's looking forward to hitting in that ballpark.''

 

What's nice about the Jenkins deal is that it protects the Phillies a bit for when Pat Burrell likely departs via free agency after the '08 season.  For now, he'll platoon with Jayson Werth in right field and spell Burrell from time to time in left field.  Obviously, Shane Victorino will move to center field to replace the departed Aaron Rowand.

I don't think it is too optimistic to think that the overall offensive and defensive production from the Phillies outfield will be just as good in 2008 -- if not a hair better -- than it would have been if the 2007 cast had returned fully intact.

As for Durbin, he is a 30-year old swingman with an 82 ERA+ over 465 innings pitched.  So basically, if the Durbin already on the Phillies has the nickname "Real Deal" (career 75 ERA+), then perhaps we should nickname Chad "Slightly Better Deal".  Of course, that isn't saying much, is it?