Burrell being backed up by Maddon

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Pat Burrell was a disappointment in 2009, to say the least, and this spring hasn't exactly been an affirmation that "Pat the Bat" will make a successful comeback in '10.

One thing is certain: Rays manager Joe Maddon has not lost faith in the veteran slugger.

After Burrell signed a two-year, $16 million deal to become Tampa Bay's DH, Rays management and fans alike believed they had solved the team's problems against left-handers by bringing aboard the right-handed power threat. Then he went out and hit .221 with 14 homers and 64 RBIs, including, oddly enough, just a .202 average with no home runs and 12 RBIs against left-handers.

Burrell showed up to camp in superb condition, which suggested he might turn things around. But he just hasn't hit, which prompted the question to Maddon about whether he is getting concerned about the team's DH. Maddon answered by citing the many positives he has seen from Burrell this spring.

"There's a lot of things I'm liking that he's doing," Maddon said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but a lot of what's been happening is he's just underneath the ball -- foul ball, straight back. He's on time. He's getting his foot down on time. He's got quickness with the bat. He's just cutting underneath the ball a little bit. So we're going to work to get that to stop happening.

"You could have made an argument that he wasn't as on time last year as he is on time [this spring], so I take that as a positive. So without looking at results, I'm liking actually what he's doing."

Still, Burrell is hitting just .200 with one home run and three RBIs this spring. Seeing some positive results from Burrell would go a long way toward creating the belief that 2009 was just an off year. Maddon did not seem that concerned about Spring Training results.

"Honestly, of course it's always nice to see someone hit a homer or a double," Maddon said. "And I like to see it for his sake, because I know it would do a lot for his confidence. What I'm seeing is a more consistent or better approach than last year, and I'm encouraged by that. Part of that is probably his neck and shoulder area is feeling a lot better, too. We just have to get the bat head to the top of the ball a little more consistently."

Maddon believes Burrell is properly motivated to reverse his fortunes in 2010.

"I think he's very motivated," Maddon said. "He came into camp in really good shape. He's working really hard. We've been playing him in the outfield. Just part of that is to get him going also. All that stuff has been really good. Without speaking for him, I think he's very motivated and he wants to be here. And I'm seeing improvement, regardless of what you're seeing in the box score."



(mlb.com)