Burrell: I Hate Leaving The Game Early
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, July 21, 2008 11:12 AM | Comments: 19
Posts
Pat Burrell told reporters he doesn’t like being taken out during the late innings of games:
“I’m upset, absolutely. I’m upset, and I have been for a long time. It’s not personal. I don’t want to ever come out of close games.”
He said the replacement issue is magnified more after a loss, which was the case yesterday. Burrell was pulled for Eric Bruntlett. The Marlins tied the game, Bruntlett did nothing at the plate.
It seems as if this is a pretty small concern for Burrell, as he reportedly voiced it calmly and threw in a jab to doubters. Of course, when things go wrong, doesn’t it seem as if more and more quotes surface? More on that soon.
Posts: 0 Phil
You tell them Pat the Bat. I don’t even understand why they take him out. He’s been defensively sound this season. He’s running proper paths to fly balls, he has a .1000 fielding percentage, so you know if it’s in his reach he’s catching it. He has a great cannon arm with pin point accuracy. He is good at one handing the ball off the wall to stop an extra base from getting in. Pat Burrell should not be taken out ever.
Posted: 11:30 AM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Chase Mutley
I would rather see doubles go searing over Pat Burrell’s head than ever see So Taguchi or Eric Bruntlet doing anything other than collecting balls in batting practice.
Posted: 11:38 AM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
I agree, Manuel loves taking Burrell out, but it’s just painful to see teams pitch around Howard with Bruntlett on deck.
Clint Hurdle pinch ran for Aramis Ramirez in a tie game in the All-Star game. Christian Guzman then had to play 3B for the first time in his professional career and promptly went hitless for the rest of the game.
Posted: 11:48 AM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
I was for taking him out for late game defense, but we miss his bat too much in the close ones and it stings when his replacement doesn’t even get on base.
Posted: 12:01 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg V.
I am beyond sick of seeing Burrell getting taken out of games. How many more RBI’s do you think this guy would have if we didn’t pull him out in the 7th inning every damn game? Ok, I get that if you have a runner at second with 1 out and you need to manufacture a run late in the game, yank him. But Charlie pulls him just to pull him it seems anymore and it totally ends up fucking the team over! How clutch is Burrell when he stays in sometimes? It’s not a guarantee but it happens! Are we really supposed to pin our hopes on Bruntlett in extra innings? Please! Manuel keeps making this ridiculous mistake and I’m really tired of it. If he wants hits, he should quit his bitching and leave a guy in there that gets those clutch hits.
Posted: 12:03 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 NJ
The thing that hurts us is were going into extra innings in tight games willy nilly now and are taking the bat out of Pats hands when we need him the most. Sure his defense is average at best but the rep he got when playing with a bad foot has stuck and the extra runs he’ll create with his bat far outweigh the potential losses in the field.
The Phils are lowballing Burrell with contract negotiations and on the field and it’s going to hurt us come the off-season when the contract negotiation becomes serious.
Posted: 12:27 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Bruce
I’m glad Burrell has become more assertive in voicing his complaint about the early substitution in close games.
This season a healthy Burrell has been a better than average fielder with a strong and accurate arm (among OF leaders with 8 assists). He has not made an error in 102 consecutive games! Left field is not spacious in CBP and he can cover it adequately.
I often thought of Manuel’s replacing Burrell early in a game undecided as superfluous and knee-jerk reaction.
Posted: 12:37 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Phil
If Burrell wasn’t a late innings replacement he’d be in the MVP talks right now, and would have made the all-star team. I believe that is why he was snubbed. He is the MVP of the Phillies right now.
Posted: 12:40 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 NJ
Good points we (the FO/Manager) have created this image of Burrell from within and its no wonder he doesn’t get the recognition because of it. It’s the same with the prospects. We’re an organisation that talk ourselves into loosing out…
Posted: 12:51 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Manuel just does it for the sake of it now, it’s a joke. Another example of his poor in game managment.
Posted: 02:33 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Gavin
Glad Pat spoke up. I couldnt agree more with everyone here.
Posted: 03:28 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 philsphan
I agree with Pat as well. He should only come out in the 8th inning if he is injured or the Phillies are up by at least 4 or more or down by 4 or more. Otherwise keep him in the game!
Posted: 03:38 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 ASSHOLE
A player should only be taken out in this situation if the substitute player is better defensively. This is not the case when burrell comes out. Here is a list of the best to worst defensive outfielders on our team as a basic guide. 1 victorino. 2 werth. 3 burrell. 4 bruntlett 5 jenkins 6 dobbs. 7 howard. 8 barry bonds’ corpse. 9. taguchi . By this formula, pat should only be taken out in favor of vic or johnny wacko but this almost never happens
Posted: 03:52 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Phil
Jenkins>Burrell
Jenkins is he 3rd best defensive outfielder.
Posted: 03:53 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Thom
Guys burrell will leave pissed and he’ll go the the mets and then whats charlie going to do.
Posted: 04:54 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 John G
I will give jenkins the nod over the Bat in the of. But if u are gonna bring in Bruntless to replace Burrell you have to weigh the offensive dillema it creates. As someone just said, Charlie does it automatically. The only thing I can equate it to, and some of you may remember if u are in your thirties, is the old little league switch. They used switch out the younger kids in the outfield in the 4th, so everyone got fair treatment. That is the way charlie treats it.
Something has got to give. You cannot have a player on the bench who is so bad that he cannot come into close games. We discussed it yesterday. Golson may not be the answer, but at least he has an upside. If tag is so horrible (and he is) cut him. They have been standing room only and can afford to eat the 1.05.
Posted: 06:00 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 John G
Charlie wants situational hitting, and hes right.
We want situational managing, and we are right.
Posted: 06:01 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Jonny K
When Burrell’s ankle/foot was a concern, I understood giving him a little relief in the late innings…but now?
Think of it this way…where would the team be if Pat Burrell was out for 1/3 of this season? Exactly. Now consider that pulling him in the 7th inning is no different than cutting 1/3 off his playing time this year.
As if any more evidence is needed – Burrell’s walkoff homerun with 2 strikes against the Giants in the 10th…
Posted: 07:28 PM on July 21, 2008
Posts: 0 Brian
The whole Burrell thing is a joke! If you want to take a person out for defensive purposes late in the game it should be Howard. How many times to we have to watch a picked off runner waltz into 2nd. And its not like he burns up the basepaths either.
If Charlie has such a hard on to get Bruntlett into games out him at first base in the late innings
Posted: 08:45 PM on July 21, 2008