Rays' Burrell eyes big turnaround

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When Pat Burrell finally had an opportunity to sit down and reflect on one the least productive years of his career, the Tampa Bay Rays slugger concluded he had no one to blame but himself.

Sure, a "slight herniation" of two discs in his neck contributed to a slow start in 2009, but the 33-year-old designated hitter also said he let the problem linger too long before getting the injury checked out.

A less-than-smooth transition from everyday player to DH was a factor, too, in his first American League season. Burrell again claimed responsibility for not making adjustments necessary to be successful.

"You can't spend a whole lot of time thinking about the past," said Burrell, who batted .221 with 14 home runs and 64 RBIs in 122 games after averaging .262 with 31 homers and 99 RBIs over the previous four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies.

"You want to put it behind you, but you also want to be able to build from it," he added. "I've had bad seasons before, and it is extra motivation for you to come in and give it that much more focus and determination to turn things around."

The Rays signed Burrell to a $16 million, two-year deal in January 2009 with expectations of adding a potent right-handed bat to the middle of a lineup that lost to Burrell's Phillies in the 2008 World Series.

He missed 29 games from May 11 to June 11 with what was described at the time as a neck strain and continued to struggle after returning to the lineup.

Despite hitting .299 with six homers and 18 RBI's during a 27-game stretch from July 31-Sept. 2, he never really provided the Rays the punch they desired. He fizzled down the stretch, homering twice in his last 38 games.

"I'm sure his pride was injured a bit," manager Joe Maddon said, citing a lack of familiarity with the DH role and AL pitching as factors in Burrell's worst numbers since 2003, when he batted .209 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 146 games with Philadelphia.

"I talk to him often, and this guy expects to play at a much higher level. He expects to be part of a winning team and he expects his team to be a winning team," Maddon added. "He's pretty much always been that."

After winning 97 games and winning the AL East 2008, the Rays won 84 and finished third in the division last season.
Burrell reported to spring training, looking fit and eager to rebound.

"I had a lot more time this offseason to get in shape, think about the year and make some adjustments," said Burrell, who also worked with new Rays batting coach Derek Shelton this winter.

"That's no excuse or anything like that, it's just the way it was," he added. "I'm a lot more prepared this year as far as physically, and definitely mentally. It's not a new team any more. There's not all the adjustments that come along with it. I know what I need to do and how to go about it."

Burrell discounted how much being a primary DH for the first time in his career impacted his performance.

"It was an adjustment, but when you get in that batter's box you have a job to do. ... Some of the down time in between (at bats) is an adjustment, but I don't think that was as big of an issue," he said.

Nor does he believe a lack of familiarity with AL pitching caused his struggles.

"It was 100 percent me more than anything else," Burrell said. "There are some tendencies you can learn about pitchers throughout the season, but I've played long enough to know that it's still got to go across the plate."

Maddon is encouraged by what he's seen in camp and likes the chances of Burrell, a .254 career hitter with 265 homers and 891 RBIs, improving on last year's performance.

"He's a young man, and normally the track record of success sustains itself or maintains itself at that particular age," the manager said.

"I think there were a lot of reasons last year wasn't that good, but I believe he's going to bounce back well this year."



(usatoday.com)