Gillick Should Stand Pat with Pat (and the stats to back it up)

By Jared Trexler
The Phanatic

What I'm about to say won't be popular.



After all, Pat Burrell is a team cancer. He doesn't throw his helmet after he strikes out. He sat next to Bobby Abreu in "How to Show the City of Philadelphia I Don't Give a Shit" 101. They both received A's. He will be the next project in the endless line of changing the mix trades, i.e. "How can opposing GM's violate Pat Gillick."

I mean, I'm glad we traded Abreu. We got back an 18-year-old who can't correlate athleticism with baseball tools, a single-A catcher with no promise and a situational left-hander. We also paid Bobby money to buy out his no trade clause and even took him for a candlelight dinner in Olde City before we saw him off.

Sense all that sarcasm.

Gillick can keep from making the same mistake twice by doing something ingenious in this "How is Alfonso Soriano worth $136 bleepin' million dollars" market.

Nothing at all.

At least in left field, where Burrell's two-year deal worth $13 million per season looks like a relative bargain when Juan Pierre can obtain $45 million over 5 campaigns.

Keep Pat and go after pitching, lots of it. Offer the moon over four years to Jason Schmidt. If that doesn't work, sign both Adam Eaton and Miguel Batista. Batista goes to the bullpen and is a great insurance plan if Eaton gets injured. Sign Joe Borowski and give him some closing chances early in the season to keep Flash fresh.

Offer David Dellucci arbitration. If he accepts, you have the lefty half of a platoon in right field. If he doesn't, you get a first-round draft pick and use the money to add a Trot Nixon or Brad Wilkerson.

But the important message is this. Don't trade Burrell, and especially don't give him away while paying somebody extra money for his 30 homers and 95 RBI.

You won't get that from Aaron "I play hard" Rowand.

I know the Burrell haters will tell me that he can't protect newly-crowned NL MVP Ryan Howard. He never has and never will.

To the contrary.

I double checked some research done on a Phillies internet forum (the information was correct), and learned something shocking.

Burrell's ability to protect Howard isn't conjecture from the stubborn. Here are the numbers when opposing teams decided to walk (on four pitches or pitch around) Howard last season with Burrell hitting directly behind him in the fifth spot.

July 1, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell flies out to LF (0-1)
August 1, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell lines out to LF (0-2)
August 2, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell singles to LF; Howard to second (1-3)
August 3, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell walks (1-3, 1 walk)
August 5, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell singles to RF (2-4, 1 walk)
August 6, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell strikes out swinging (2-5, 1 walk)
August 7, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell doubles to to left; Victorino scores, Howard to 3rd (3-6, 1 walk)
August 11, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell strikes out looking (3-7, 1 walk)
August 16, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell singles to center (4-8, 1 walk)
August 20, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell singles to center; Rollins scores, Howard to third (5-9, 1 walk)
Howard walks then Burrell doubles to to left; Howard scores (6-10, 1 walk)
Howard walks then Burell flies out to left (6-11, 1 walk)
September 2, 2006 (A big gap because even at 6-for-11, Charlie Manuel determines Jeff Conine needs to protect Howard)
Howard walks then Burrell singles (7-11, 1 walk)
Howard walks then Burrell walks (7-11, 2 walks)
September 3, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell grounds out to first (7-12, 2 walks)
September 4, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell strikes out swinging (7-14, 2 walks)
September 16, 2006 (long break for more Conine)
Howard walks then Burrell strikes out looking (7-15, 2 walks)
September 29, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell homers to LF (8-16, 2 walks)
Howard walks then Burrell walks (8-16, 3 walks)
September 30, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell strikes out swinging (8-17, 3 walks)
October 1, 2006
Howard walks then Burrell walks (8-17, 4 walks)

So, for the entire season, when team's consciously decided to walk Howard in front of Burrell, the left fielder made them pay dearly to the tune of 8-for-17 with 4 walks -- a .471 batting average, .571 OBP and a .818 slugging with a 1.389 OPS.

Batting behind Howard is the WORST position to be in throughout every Philadelphia sports franchise. Burrell succeeded following a Howard walk 47 percent of the time (57 percent if you include walks). That means he failed more often than not. Obviously, baseball players who excel 30 percent of the time on a whole are All-Stars, but not when hitting behind the MVP.

"They walked the big man then you looked at strike 3, you bum," a fan base yells.

Don't let the facts get in the way of a drunken, illogical shouting match.

We as fans should hope Gillick understands hitters at Burrell's age, productivity and contract don't grow on trees.

If the franchise is constantly searching for changing the mix, I understand why this city has gone so long without a championship.

Soriano is off the board. Pitch around Howard. Go ahead, I dare you.

Pat has proven he'll make you pay.


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The Phanatic