Pat Burrell's Resurgence in San Francisco

What’s that saying? “What’s one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure?” However it goes, that saying doesn’t hold more true than with the case of Pat Burrell.

Burrell was complete garbage in Tampa. He signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Rays in the winter of 2009 and he couldn’t have been more of a bust.

In a season and a third in a Rays uniform, Burrell hit just .218 with 16 home runs and a .672 OPS. He was supposed to be the Rays’ big right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup and it just never worked.

Burrell looked old and worn out. It seemed like he never adjusted to be a full-time DH and it looked like his career was over.

Burrell was released by the Rays in May and the San Francisco Giants took a flier on him. Now it looks like one of the best low-risk, high-reward fliers of the season.

No longer a DH and playing the outfield, Burrell has been rejuvenated in San Francisco. Burrell hit his seventh home run last night in the Giants’ 10-0 win over the Colorado Rockies and the former Miami Hurricane is now hitting .282 with a .372 OBP and a .500 slugging in 145 at-bats.

He is right now for the Giants what he was supposed to be in Tampa. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for a guy.

So what is the reason for Burrell’s resurgence in San Francisco? I think it’s the simple answer of Burrell’s playing the field again. And I don’t mean picking up chicks in Miami.

Look at Burrell’s splits as a DH and a left fielder. It’s amazing.

DH: .209/.305/.365 with three home runs in 91 at-bats.

LF: .297/.388/.514 with six home runs in 111 at-bats.

I always thought it was hogwash when an announcer or team official would show concern over a player adjusting to the DH position. I always wondered what the big deal was? But apparently it is.

If you watch Burrell play now in San Francisco, he looks fresher and quicker at the plate and the stats match up with the eye test. He is making more contact in the strike zone (Z-Contact Percentage has improved from 79 percent to 87 percent) and he has improved drastically on fastballs (wFB has improved from -4.7 to 2.3).

The Giants are leading the NL Wild Card race and Burrell’s resurgence is a big reason why.

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