Come on, aren't you disappointed with Burrell's lack of progress as a player? That's what Green is talking about, and I imagine he is the mouthpiece of the organization on this one. Anyone who's watched Burrell fail to develop strike zone discipline or a more cerebral approach to hitting over the past 5-6 years probably shares the wish that he would spend the winter in the cage, watching tape, working with pitchers and coaches -- whatever would help him become more than an overpaid mistake hitter.

I'm with Chris R - Burrell's a talented and mostly productive player but he has stagnated in a way that suggests a guy without the killer instinct to take the big steps forward. Kudos to Green for trying to light that fire under him. In fact, he's probably got more untapped ceiling than Rollins does.

I'm with David - Even if Dallas Green is right, he's not helping Burrell's trade value by saying such things. Burrell is a good hitter. He may not be a superstar, but it's Philly's fault for paying him like one, not Pat's fault for accepting their offer.

And who says "broads"? Granted, I despise Dallas Green.

Everyone in baseball knows how easy it is to get Burrell out: alternate breaking balls away with fastballs inside. He'll stand there like a statue every time on the inside stuff and flail away at the breaking stuff outside.

I agree Big D is such a pain in the tail, he's done way more harm over the last few years than good, but what he is saying about Pat right now is on the money.

Having said that, he shouldn't be saying it. All the Phillies have done all winter is talk bad about Burrell, yet try and trade him. It's mystifying tactics really.

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from a far burrell looks great. but if you actually watch the phil's and watch burrells at bats, like i know tom g and i and dallas do, one would see how much of a shell of a hitter he is.

their is a reason that super oba and slugging percentage still have teams running the other way.

i definately agree that dallas should shut up though. he needs to go to that clearwater watering hole and stay there.

"from a far burrell looks great. but if you actually watch the phil's and watch burrells at bats"

Remember way back when Phillies fans thought Bobby Abreu wasn't any good. Face it, you're a bunch of morons.

Burrell is a bum - he may have OK numbers, but the clutch hitting, with RISP, he is possibly the worst guy in the league to have up. He is certainly talented, but a dissappointment in my book, the fans eyes, and for the organization as a whole. He strikes out about 800 times a season, can't come up with big hits, and to be honest, is somewhat a liability in LF. Not the biggest fan of Green either, so both could stand to go.

Reno- No one thought Abreu wasn't good. he is a great hitter, but an average power hitter and an average outfielder. he was put in a position to be a guy who drove in runs, hit HRs, and be the centerpeice of a lineup. This he is NOT. he is great on an already stacked lineup in NYY, with powerhitter galore. he can take pitches, get on base, steal a few, and score runs. all important. but he can NOT be relied on as the main powerhitter in a lineup. Face it, you don't know much about what you are talking about.

reno - thank you for that incite. until now i didn't realize that every person in my city is a moron. it's posts like yours that make the internet so special. i've torn my eyes out and pledged never to watch baseball again because i am a moron and have nothing to contribute that doesn't pale in comparison to your knowedgable statments. i am sure that you have dvr'd many burrell at bats and watched him over and over as he tries to pull down and away sliders and stares blankly at middle in fast balls and decided that he truly is great. on behalf of the city of philadelphia i bow at your greatness. i don't know how you've done it, but in one word you've showed me more about a player i've watched every day for over 5 years than any tape of his i could ever view.

Wow... clutch hitting. You still believe in that kind of thing in Philly? Abreu's .412 OBP not enough for you? Burrell's .890 OPS not "clutch" enough? What you really need is a Juan Pierre... gets on base "an awful lot." More vague, grizzled hard-nosed feelings, and less statistics. I don't need no computer to tell me nothing! I know that Bonds stinks!

What is the matter with you out-of-town know-it-alls? You think you can understand a player's value to a team by looking up his stats. If you limited your comments to players you've actually watched, you might be better informed. Burrell hits mistakes well enough to get 25 or 30 homers a year; hitting fifth in one of the highest scoring NL lineups, he'll get his 100 RBI. That's probability at work, not hitting ability.
The problem with Burrell is that he has not improved since his third year in the league, and he doesn't seem to want to. He doesn't make adjustments during an at bat, or during successive at bats in a game. He doesn't try anything different when slumping. (Do you believe in slumps, or are they as imaginary to you as clutch hitting?)

First, Dallas Green has lived off one 1/2 year of greatness in Philly. His treatment of Scott Rolen (along with Larry Bowa's) is one of the most shameful acts ever in the history of Baseball. He was painted by Green & Bowa as selfish, lazy, moody and a clubhouse cancer. Amazing how prior to those reports and after he was shipped off, players & management loved him. Philadelphia media and management turned the fans against Rolen and they are turning the fans against Burrell. Yes, he makes too much money but they all do. That's not Burrell's fault. If management, media and fans would leave him alone (God forbid they'd encourage him) he would probably be fine. I'm a 50 year Philly fan but their treatment of Rolen & Burrell has been awful.

i don't know who contributed more here reno or John P. i thought reno until John P enlighted us with his Barry Bonds reference. It was exactly on the point of this post! He also gets an extra point for the Juan Pierre comment - since that also has everything to do with Pat Burrell. Thanks for regurgitating a box score for us John P! You're the winner! Next time Pat comes up i'll just put a piece of paper in front of my tv that says .890 OPS and make a wish - that should score the run.

For those that claim that Burrell isn't good in the clutch, his "clutch" numbers are pretty much right on par with his career numbers. In other words, he doesn't necessarily choke under pressure. For his career:

Overall: .258/362/.479
With RISP: .267/.386/.466
2 outs, RISP: .252/.390/.481
Late & Close: .264/.393/.493
Tie Game: .238/.355/.431
Within 1 Run: .260/.366/.481
Within 2 Runs: .260/.365/.480

the amazing thing is that i like burrell and think he can be great and hope he stays on the phil's. it's just funny that somebody takes 10 seconds on espn.com and acts like they've scouted the guy since miami.

"reno - thank you for that incite"

David,
Between this and the guy who couldn't divide simple numbers, you should really offer "Hooked on Numbers" and "Hooked on Phonics" on your site.

Brett- the people who are saying Burrell is "unclutch" are the same ones saying Howard IS clutch, even though the numbers don't bear it out. It's the difference between perception and reality; Juan Encarnacion's treatment by STL fans was exactly the same this year. JEnc actually hit significantly better than his average with RISP, yet was derided as a "rally-killer" (among other things) based off of a few bad weeks in April.

Patty's good "late and close" numbers surprise me a bit, but again, the issue is not that he is clutch or "unclutch". It's that he could make himself a better player but evidently lacks the desire or self-discipline to do so. Phils will be OK with him in the 5-hole again this year (better Burrell than Preston Wilson or Rondell White!), but if he could lose 20 Ks I bet he'd gain 10-20 RBIs, and the meat of the order would be as imposing as anything the NL has to offer.

re: pat burrell

we had thsi discussion before.

according to the local gossip from Pat neighbors in the Rittenhouse Square area where he lives, Burrell likes to patronize the local bars until closing time (2am) after games during the season, and pick up local girls or women for one night stands which presumably keep him up later.

this is pretty clearly mickey mantle's training method.

it seems the point that dallas green and the phillies are making is that for $11 million a year, they want Mr. Burrell to hit the sack early every night, work on a nutrition program, and maybe work out with a personal trainer and eye-hand fitness coordinator.

People knock Barry Bonds, but at least he worked out like the dickens to raise the level of his game with personal trainers.

One doesn't get the idea that Burrell will have the best part of his career after the age of 35.

I do agree with Dave P that Burrell is a productive player. I think the problem is that everyone knows that Burrell parties his ass off at night and has had some games where he's looked a bit hungover, and no one knows if he's having a bad game because of lack of sleep and a hangover or because he can't find the hanging curve.

Jason Michaels, his college classmate, partied harder with Burrell when he was here, at least until Michaels got a DUI that gave the Phils excuse to trade him.

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem for professional athletes. I don't believe professional athletes should drink, myself.

--art kyriazis

art - i'm sorry but i just can't believe anything you just said. i'm looking at the back of my 2006 topps burrell card and none of that is on there and therefore it cannot impact his play.

thank you for your efforts though. lol