Pat Burrell

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 2000
  Background: The Phillies have been patient with Burrell despite the record-setting $8 million major league contract he signed after being the No. 1 pick in 1998. They left him in the Double-A Eastern League most of the season, and he was the league's top prospect. Burrell didn't receive a September callup, in part so that he could attend instructional league and work on his second defensive move in two years before playing in the Arizona Fall League. Strengths: Burrell may be the top hitting prospect in the minor leagues. Strength is not a problem. The ball explodes off Burrell's bat with the special sound scouts look for but rarely find. Watching Burrell take batting practice can be reminiscent of a Mark McGwire show. Burrell is more than brute strength, though. He is adept at lining pitches down and away to right-center field, works counts like a leadoff hitter and adjusts his swing to different pitchers and situations. He has significantly improved his ability to get his hands through the hitting zone on plus inside fastballs. Weaknesses: Burrell is solid defensively at his natural position, which is first base. His experience fielding ground balls from his high school and college days as a third baseman helps him. Still, the Phillies see hope for him in left field. His below-average speed limits his potential there, yet Burrell has shown surprising agility and instincts in tracking fly balls. He still needs work on going back on the ball. Burrell's arm is solid average and will be a benefit in left field as he improves his accuracy and ability to throw to the right base. The Future: On the topic of Burrell in left field, one Phillies executive remarked, "Hey, this is the organization that has put Greg Luzinski, Pete Incaviglia and Gregg Jefferies out there. Burrell has to be better than all those guys." In truth, Burrell is not only a better fielder but also potentially a far better hitter. The Phillies have some decisions to make, with first baseman Rico Brogna signed for two more years, left fielder Ron Gant around for one more year, and Burrell obviously ready for the major leagues.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 1999
  Background: Burrell was an afterthought 43rd-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1995 out of San Jose's prestigious Bellarmine Prep. At that time scouts felt he was a big, slow kid who had hitting potential but was best served by going to college. In hindsight, they were exactly right. Burrell approached hitting with a Tony Gwynn-like fanaticism at the University of Miami and turned himself into the best-hitting prospect in the college game by the end of his freshman season. Though he was sidelined for 28 games with a lower back injury as a junior, he came back strong and was the first pick in the 1998 draft. He signed a five-year contract with $8 million in guaranteed money--the largest sum ever given to an amateur player by the team that drafted him. Strengths: Burrell's top-end offensive potential is in the range of a Jeff Bagwell or Jim Thome. He can hit for average and enormous power, and has excellent control of the strike zone. For the contract he was given, the Phillies will expect nothing less than a .300 hitter with 35 home runs and 100 walks a year out of the cleanup spot. National League pitchers will quickly learn how dangerous it is to allow Burrell to get his arms extended. Realistically, his defense is secondary, but Burrell made a smooth transition to first base and his work ethic and natural ability should make him a competent defender. Weaknesses: Burrell's biggest weakness might be the position he plays: A power-hitting first baseman is easier to find than a slugging catcher. His range at third base, his college position, was below average. But Burrell's hands, arm strength and balance, the key elements in a defensive catcher, are all exceptional. He's just never played there. Being at first base, though, could keep him healthy. His spring back problems did not reemerge during the summer or fall, much to the Phillies relief. Burrell can be beaten under his hands on the inside half of the plate, but few pitchers can hit that spot consistently. The Future: With all due respect to 100-RBI man Rico Brogna, first base in Philadelphia is Burrell's as soon as he's had a little time to adjust to upper-level pitching. Any evaluator questions any player's ability to hit big league pitching: Witness Paul Konerko, Burrell's clone when it comes to tools. For now, however, Burrell has no major discernible weaknesses at the plate.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #2 prospect in 2000
  A year after refusing to give in to J.D. Drew's contract demands, the Phillies gave Burrell a $3.15 million signing bonus as part of an $8 million guaranteed contract. So far, it appears the Phillies made the right choice about who to spend their money on. Burrell, 23, emerged as one of the National League's top rookies this season after spending the first six weeks of the season with the Red Barons. "He's special with the bat," Scranton manager Marc Bombard said. "The ball coming off his bat is just different. With his offensive potential, who knows? The sky could be the limit." Burrell has a good knowledge of the strike zone, though he tends to be impatient at the plate. He walked 56 times in his first 101 games with the Phillies, in addition to 127 strikeouts in 374 at-bats. Bombard says Burrell has the makeup and work ethic to iron out his flaws and hit for a high average. Philadelphia still has to decide where it will use Burrell. A third baseman in college, he shifted between the outfield and first base for the Phillies. After they picked up Travis Lee, Burrell played mostly in left. "It doesn't matter with him," Bombard said. "He'll play wherever you put him. Wherever he's at, it's not going to take away from his hitting."
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #1 prospect in 1999
  When he was not dismantling EL pitching, Burrell was learning new positions. The All-American third baseman at Miami and the 1998 draft's top pick started the season playing first base, and ended his stay in Reading playing some in left field. "He's not going to be a liability out there," said Reading manager Gary Varsho, who used Burrell in 27 games as his left fielder. "He's going to be an asset there. He's going to put a lot of pressure on the guy in the third-base coach's box, because he's going to possess an above-average arm in left field." Burrell's bat, though, is why he tops the Class of '99. "He projects as a No. 3, 4 or 5 hitter in the major leagues for a long period of time," said Harrisburg manager Doug Sisson. "He's somebody who's going to hit for average, for power and drive in runs. I think he and Johnson both project that way."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #2 prospect in 2000
• Ranked Baseball America's #19 prospect in 1999

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  A year after refusing to give in to J.D. Drew's contract demands, the Phillies gave Burrell a $3.15 million signing bonus as part of an $8 million guaranteed contract. So far, it appears the Phillies made the right choice about who to spend their money on. Burrell, 23, emerged as one of the National League's top rookies this season after spending the first six weeks of the season with the Red Barons. "He's special with the bat," Scranton manager Marc Bombard said. "The ball coming off his bat is just different. With his offensive potential, who knows? The sky could be the limit." Burrell has a good knowledge of the strike zone, though he tends to be impatient at the plate. He walked 56 times in his first 101 games with the Phillies, in addition to 127 strikeouts in 374 at-bats. Bombard says Burrell has the makeup and work ethic to iron out his flaws and hit for a high average. Philadelphia still has to decide where it will use Burrell. A third baseman in college, he shifted between the outfield and first base for the Phillies. After they picked up Travis Lee, Burrell played mostly in left. "It doesn't matter with him," Bombard said. "He'll play wherever you put him. Wherever he's at, it's not going to take away from his hitting."