Pat Burrell has been right at home with the Giants

Pat Burrell grew up amid the tall trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains, smacking whiffle balls over an ivy-covered fence in his backyard that his buddies nicknamed Wrigley Field.

It was the beginning of a baseball odyssey that led him down the hill to attend Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and onward from there — from the first overall draft pick out of the University of Miami to a World Series championship with the Philadelphia Phillies to a brief and bitter foray as a designated hitter with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dumped by the Rays in mid-May, Burrell made one more wish.

"I hoped the Giants would call," the 33-year-old said. "This was really the first team that came to my mind."

The Giants took a flier that Burrell's right-handed power could show up occasionally to energize the offense. He surpassed expectations, needing just a couple games at Triple-A Fresno to show he still had major league bat speed. Then he forced his way into manager Bruce Bochy's lineup, and hit .355 with two home runs in his first 11 games.

It's worked both ways. The Giants have energized Burrell, too.

"You can see it," said Aubrey Huff, who is Burrell's teammate once more after they played at the University of Miami a dozen years ago. "He's never said this to me, but you could tell it just wasn't a good fit in Tampa. Being a DH wasn't his thing. I'm really convinced to play well, you've got to be happy. He's happy here."

That's what Burrell's old high school coach sees, too.

"I haven't spoken to Pat, but my perception is after everything he's gone through, this is a new lease on life," said Gary Cunningham, who retired in 2008 after 21 years at Bellarmine. "He's in a different spot in his career, but it seems he's recaptured that love for playing the game."

Burrell was a sophomore transfer to Bellarmine from little San Lorenzo Valley High in Felton, where his baseball talent was obscured among the redwoods. Burrell made the varsity team as a freshman at San Lorenzo and had such a bright future that his own coach, Tim Kenworthy, suggested he leave to get more exposure at a bigger school.

As per transfer rules, Burrell was forced to play on the junior varsity as a sophomore at Bellarmine.

"Then we had him in our summer program," Cunningham said. "And we knew he was the real deal."

Burrell was so feared that Cunningham had to bat him leadoff, just to ensure he'd get one at-bat in which he wasn't pitched around.

"He had so much fun playing the game," Cunningham said. "It came easy and natural. And the biggest thing people remember is batting practice. We had a little bandbox field and a 6-foot fence at the time, and he'd just launch balls out of there. It was unbelievable."

Burrell's father, John, worked construction in San Jose and he Pat would begin every day began with that winding, 45-minute drive down Bear Creek Road to Route 17. His parents still live in Boulder Creek.

"It's a small place," Burrell said. "Without that move, I'd have a hard time believing all this would have happened. It was a bigger school and we played top competition. That's when I decided this is what I want to do."

Burrell grew up admiring Will Clark, Matt Williams and Oakland's Bash Brothers. But most of his childhood memories are of attending games in Kansas City, where both sets of his grandparents owned Royals season tickets. George Brett became his favorite player.

"We'd go out there every summer and we'd always go to games," Burrell said. "By the time I was in high school, I was more enthralled in my own stuff."

Shortly after Burrell arrived in Miami, he established himself as one of the best college players in the country. And Huff, a self-described shy junior college transfer from Texas, never forgot the first time they met.

"I didn't like him at all," Huff said. "He was cocky, arrogant ... kind of a (jerk), really.

"But you realized he was trying to make you better. He makes you confident by ragging on you, if that makes sense. He's the best clubhouse guy you can have. He genuinely cares about every single guy doing well."

Burrell called Huff the morning the Rays cut him loose. And Huff immediately lobbied Giants manager Bruce Bochy and the coaching staff to shoot his buddy a contract.

It's just a snapshot thus far. There are no guarantees Burrell will continue to produce, or get regular at-bats. But he has already provided rewards far beyond the minimal risk.

"You look at his bat speed and approach and they're the same I remember when we were trying so hard to get him out in Philly," Bochy said. "In fact, he might be in better shape now."

And in a better frame of mind, too.

"I'm having a great time," Burrell said.



(contracostatimes.com)