For years, Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies has been a target of the fans anger towards the Phillies. A talented player from Miami, he was MVP of the 1996 College World Series. He also won the Golden Spikes Award in 1998. Burrell was then drafted number 1 overall by the Phillies.
Burrell originally was a 1st baseman. He moved to LF later in the season and finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting. He had a breakout year the following year with 37 HR's. Buth then he went into a 3 year slump of inconsistency.
To his credit, in recent seasons, Burrell has shown an increasing ability to draw walks; however, his patience at bat also has resulted in his striking out frequently, including leading the Major Leagues in number of called third strikes. He has worked on this issue over the offseason.
As of right now, in his contract year with the Phillies he is batting .303 with 9 HR, 30 RBI, 21 hits but a staggering 29 strikeouts. His On Base % is .440. Great numbers to begin the season. Next to Chase Utley, Burrell has been the strength of the Phillies offense this year.
Prior to 2008 spring training workouts, t-shirts were made displaying a shirtless, bicep-curling Burrell with "Man or Machine?" printed on them. The media speculated that Chase Utley, the Phillies 2nd baseman, was responsible for the shirts although no one actually claimed responsibility.
