Patrick Brian "Pat" Burrell III (born October 10, 1976, in
Eureka SpringsEureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States, one of the two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,350...
,
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
), nicknamed
Pat the Bat, is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
left fielderA left fielder , is an outfielder in the sport of baseball who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
for the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
.
The Phillies announced on December 16, 2008, that they had signed outfielder
Raúl IbáñezRaúl Javier Ibáñez is a Cuban-American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies.-High school and college:Ibáñez played baseball for Miami Sunset Senior High School...
to a 3-year, $31.5 million deal, replacing Burrell in the
Philadelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are the defending World Series champions. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern...
' outfield. After playing for the Phillies for his entire major league career (2000–2008), it was announced that Burrell and the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
had reached a 2-year, $16 million deal on January 5, 2009 making Burrell the Rays'
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
.
High school
In high school, Burrell was a two sport standout for the baseball and football programs at
Bellarmine College PreparatoryBellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, private secondary school located in San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California....
High School in San Jose, CA. As a junior, Burrell competed in football against
Tom BradyThomas Edward "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls, winning three...
(now the
New England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the...
' quarterback), who played for Burrell's team rival, Junipero Serra High School.
College
Burrell attended the
University of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 in the city of Coral Gables, Florida within Miami-Dade County...
, in
Coral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is known as the home of the University of Miami.The population was 42,249 at the 2000 census...
. Following a standout collegiate career there, where he was the "Most Valuable Player" of the 1996
College World SeriesThe College World Series or CWS is a baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split in to two, four team double elimination brackets with the...
, finished second all-time in slugging percentage and won the 1998
Golden Spikes AwardThe Golden Spikes Award is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player. It is awarded by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Though the award can be presented to any amateur player, it has always been given to a college baseball player.-Past...
, Burrell was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies with the first overall draft choice in the 1998 MLB draft. In February 2008, Burrell was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Minor leagues
Burrell began his career in Class A with the Clearwater Phillies in the
Florida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced Minor League Baseball league operating in the state of Florida. Class A is the middle of five classifications of minor leagues that are affiliated with Major League Baseball teams...
, where he joined fellow prospects
Jimmy RollinsJames Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll," is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball....
and
Brandon DuckworthBrandon J. Duckworth is a Major League Baseball player. A right-handed starting pitcher, Duckworth currently pitches for the Kansas City Royals....
on a team that finished its season a game out of first place.
2000-2002
Burrell debuted for the Phillies in 2000 as a first baseman, later moving to the Phillies outfield, where he became an instant fixture in the line-up. In 2000, he finished 4th in voting for 2000 National League Rookie of the Year.
In 2002, he had a break out season, hitting 37
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s and knocking in 116 RBI, proving to be one of the most promising young power hitters in
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
. His 2002 year earned him 14th in National League MVP voting.
2003
After signing a six-year, $50-million dollar contract with the Phillies before the 2003 season, he endured a season-long slump and finished the season batting only .209 with barely half of his previous season's hitting production numbers.
2004 and 2005
In 2004, Burrell rebounded somewhat, but his year was limited when an injury to his left wrist during batting practice in early August caused him to miss about 40 games. He finished the season with 24 home runs. 2005 would prove to be a very good year for Burrell as he hit .281, with 32 home runs and a career high 117 RBI. His production helped the Phillies come within one game of winning the NL Wild Card slot, losing out to the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros is a major league baseball team located in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the Central Division. From 2000 to the present, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park . The Astros joined MLB under the name Colt .45s along with the New York Mets in...
on the final day of the season. In 2005, Burrell earned 7th place in voting for the National League MVP award.
2006
Burrell started strong in 2006 but a very poor June saw him hitting .250 with 19 HRs at the All-Star break. By the midway point of the 2006 season, with the Phillies appearing to be slipping from playoff contention, new General Manager
Pat GillickPat Gillick was the general manager of four Major League Baseball teams. He guided teams to three World Series championships in his career: 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with the Philadelphia Phillies.-Early life:...
began trading off veteran players such as
Bobby AbreuBob Kelly "Bobby" Abreu , nicknamed "El Comedulce" and also "La Luche", is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim....
,
David BellDavid Michael Bell is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently the manager of the Double-A Carolina Mudcats...
, and
Cory LidleCory Fulton Lidle was an Americanright-handed baseball pitcher who spent nine seasons in the major leagues with seven different teams...
. Some fans felt the long term, lucrative contracts had resulted in some complacency by the Phillies. The Phillies responded by trading Abreu and Lidle to the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
and sending Bell to the
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Burrell was originally dealt to the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , the Orioles have played their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The "Orioles" name refers to the official state...
during this time as well, but vetoed the trade, exercising the no-trade clause in his contract, and remained with the Phillies. In August and September 2006, the Phillies began winning with regularity and making a strong run for the National League Wild Card slot, but Burrell was less than a major factor in the Phillies' success, as was slumping and was given fewer at bats during this time. On September 15, 2006, he did provide the Phillies' only runs in a 4–3 victory with a 1st inning grand slam off pitcher
Roger ClemensWilliam Roger Clemens, aka "The Rocket" is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, two more than any other pitcher. He played for 13 consecutive seasons in Boston, more than half of his career. In , he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays...
. However, his periodic spectacular play was largely overshadowed during 2006 by his inability to deliver hits with runners in scoring position, which routinely drew boos from Phillies fans. While Phillies fans had been known for booing
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
and other popular players, the boos and negativity from the fans and even news media were considerably worse than previously for Burrell. Even so, Burrell finished the season with 29 HRs and 95 RBI, both in the top 20 in the NL, despite limited at bats. His OPS was only two points lower than it was the previous season (.890 from .892).
2007
As with 2006, Burrell batted well in April, but slumped in May and June, his batting average this time dropping to .201 on July 1, and he was benched for a few games at a time. His BABIP during this time was unusually low (.161 in May and .136 in June.), substantially below his career .300 BABIP.
He followed up one of the poorest batting months of his career with one of his most successful, hitting .435 for the month of July with a .564 OBP and a .768 SLG. He followed up his amazing July with a .290 batting average. In August, with 10 HRs and a .368 OBP and .650 SLG, the Phillies moved Burrell up to the 3rd spot in their lineup, and Burrell began winning back Phillies fan support.
Burrell finished the 2007 regular season hitting .256 with 30 HRs (tied for 14th in the National League, a .400 OBP (a career high) and .502 SLG. Burrell's second-half turaround performance was credited as a crucial factor in the Phillies come-from-behind victory over the heavily favored
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
, with Burrell hitting well over .300 with 19 HRs and more than 60 RBI, including two home runs in a dramatic 11-10 win over the Mets at
Citizens Bank ParkCitizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004 and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
in which the Phillies swept the Mets in a decisive 4-game series, with Burrell hitting four HRs in this critical series.
Burrell hit his 200th career home run on July 17, 2007 and his 1000th career hit on August 17, 2007. On the last day of the 2007 season, the Phillies, led largely by Burrell's batting comeback, led the National League East division, entering the playoffs for the first time in Burrell's career and the first time for the Phillies since 1993. However, the Phillies were quickly swept by the
Colorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993, the Rockies play in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains, which pass through Colorado, just west of Denver...
in the first playoff round, in which Burrell had 2 hits in 11 AB with 2 walks, including a home run in game 1 of the series.
Overall, however, 2007 proved a very good season for Burrell. He achieved a career high in walks (114), OBP (.400), and AB per HR (15.7) In 2007, he walked 19.5% of the time, the highest walk percentage in the entire National League. He also finished with a career low in strikeouts and—for the first time in his career—he did not finish in the top 10 in strikeouts in the National League.
Compared to the rest of the National League in 2007, Burrell was 10th in OBP, 3rd in walks, and 6th in AB/HR percentage.
2008
Prior to 2008 spring training workouts, t-shirts were made displaying a shirtless, biceps-curling Burrell with "Man or Machine?" printed on them. The media speculated that Phillies 2nd baseman
Chase UtleyChase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School before moving on to UCLA.Utley bats left-handed...
was responsible for the shirts although no one actually claimed responsibility.
Burrell opened the season strongly, with a .326 average and eight home runs in April. May was weaker, and some feared that Burrell was heading for another slump. However, he bounced back in June with a 30-point increase in his average and six more homers. Burrell led the National League in walks at the middle of the season (69), was fifth in the league in on base percentage (.412), and sixth in home runs (22).
In 2008 he was second behind
Ryan BraunRyan Joseph Braun , nicknamed The Hebrew Hammer, is an American right-handed All-Star left fielder who broke into Major League Baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers in ....
of left fielders in the major leagues with a 1.000
fielding percentageIn baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
in 692 innings, and led NL left fielders in assists (7). At the same time, however, he had the lowest
range factorRange Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of all major league starting left fielders, 1.61.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?groupId=9&season=2008&seasonType=2&split=83&sortOrder=true&sortColumn=rangeFactor
In Game 4 of the 2008 NLDS, Burrell became only the second Phillies hitter in their history to hit two home runs in a playoff game, the other being
Lenny DykstraLeonard Kyle Dykstra is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s...
(
Ryan HowardRyan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Howard is 6' 4" and 260 lbs. He bats and throws left-handed.Howard was the National League MVP...
would join the list later that month, in Game 4 of the World Series). He also became only the fifth National League player to hit two home runs in a series clinching game, joining
Steve GarveySteven Patrick Garvey is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, and current Southern California businessman. Garvey was a one time NL MVP, 10 time All Star, and holds the National League record for consecutive games played .-Playing career:Born in Tampa, FL to parents who had recently...
,
Johnny BenchJohn Lee "Johnny" Bench is a former American Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from to and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
,
Fred McGriffFrederick Stanley "Crime Dog" McGriff is a former left-handed Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era...
, and
Carlos BeltranCarlos Ivan Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the New York Mets....
. His four RBIs were the difference in a 6–2 Phillies victory that gave Philadelphia its first playoff series victory since . After going hitless in the World Series, Burrell hit a double to left center field in the seventh inning of Game 5. Although Burrell was subsequently taken out of the game in favor of pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett, Bruntlett was moved over to third on a groundout and ultimately scored the winning run to bring the Phillies their first World Series championship since 1980, and Philadelphia their first major sports championship since 1983.
At the October 31, 2008 parade in Philadelphia honoring the Phillies' World Series victory, Burrell led the parade, sitting on top of the a carriage led by the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, accompanied by his dog, Elvis.
On April 8, 2009, the Phillies received their World Series rings in a pregame ceremony. Burrell received his with the rest of his former teammates. After the ceremony, he flew to Boston, for Tampa Bay's game at Fenway Park.
"Met Killer"
From early in his major league career, Burrell has shown a penchant for hitting home runs against the New York Mets, much to the dismay of the Mets and their fans and announcers, but a boon to the Phillies as the Mets increasingly became division rivals. Though his overall batting average against the Mets was near his overall career average, he continued to knock in runs against the Mets with the long ball. In 2007, Burrell surpassed
Barry BondsBarry Lamar Bonds is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds. He debuted in the Major Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 and joined the San Francisco Giants in 1993, where he stayed through 2007.Bonds has led a controversial...
and
Chipper JonesLarry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is an American Major League baseball player. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Atlanta Braves...
to lead all active players in home runs against the Mets, hitting 4 HRs in a Phillies 4 game series sweep against the Mets in late August, collecting his 41st home run against them, and surpassing
Willie MaysWilliam Howard "Willie" Mays, Jr. is a retired American baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of...
in 5th place for most home runs against the Mets all-time.
Conflict with Billy Wagner
Burrell's home runs against the Mets gained notoriety also due to the intense dislike between Burrell and former Phillie teammate
Billy WagnerWilliam "Billy" Edward Wagner is an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Previously, Wagner pitched for the Houston Astros , Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets...
. Burrell has homered twice off of Wagner in four at bats, resulting in two blown saves for Wagner in the 2007 season, which accounted for half of Wagner's four overall blown saves.
In 2006, following his joining the Mets, Wagner revealed that Burrell had called him "a rat" during his time in Philadelphia and once led a team intervention against him, with Burrell and other Phillies players criticizing Wagner for publicly blaming other Phillies players for various losses. Once with the Mets, Wagner revealed that his personality conflict with Burrell and other Phillies players aligned with Burrell was a deciding factor in Wagner's decision to depart the Phillies.
Tampa Bay Rays
On January 5, 2009, Burrell and the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
(the same team that Burrell, as a member of the Phillies, beat in the previous World Series) reached a 2-year agreement worth around $16 million. Burrell had reportedly turned down a 2-year, $22 million dollar offer from the Phillies immediately following the World Series, presumably because he felt he could get a better offer from another team. Soon after, the Phillies signed left fielder
Raul IbanezRaúl Javier Ibáñez is a Cuban-American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies.-High school and college:Ibáñez played baseball for Miami Sunset Senior High School...
, effectively ending Burrell's tenure with the team. Burrell had said numerous times that he wanted to stay in Philadelphia. In December, it was reported that the Phillies never made the previously reported offer. In a column by
Philadelphia Daily NewsThe Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that began publishing on March 31, 1925, under founding editor Lee Ellmaker. In its early years, it was dominated by crime stories, sports and sensationalism. By 1930, daily circulation of the morning paper exceeded 200,000...
reporter Paul Hagen, Burrell was quoted as saying "To be honest, nothing specific was ever talked about. Nothing official was offered."
Burrell returned to Philadelphia for a weekend exhibition series on April 3, 2009 and April 4, 2009. The Phillies handed out an 8 1/2" x 11" photo of Burrell's double in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series at the entrances to
Citizens Bank ParkCitizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004 and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
. The back of the photo consisted of photographs of Burrell throughout his career and his Phillies statistics. Prior to the start of the game, the Phillies presented a video tribute to Burrell, after which, he greeted the fans to a rousing standing ovation. Upon every appearance at the plate during the series, Burrell received applause, including when he hit a home run off of Phillies ace
Cole HamelsColbert Michael Hamels is a left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Hamels throws a standard four-seam fastball, changeup, and a curveball...
during the April 4, 2009 game.
External links