Last year was nice, but the status quo won't be enough for Philly to move up

By Josh Elliott

Burrell, 25, shows an old-school willingness to do the dirty work -- on the field and in the locker room.  M. David Leeds/Allsport ENEMY LINES An opposing team's scout sizes up the Phillies "I think the Phillies are going to be a tad better than they were last year. They should definitely be a contender. Travis Lee 's bat looks much improved, and Jimmy Rollins gets better all the time. ... I never liked Marlon Anderson , but I admit I've seen enough improvement that he's no longer a minus in the field. He still has some trouble turning the double play, though. ... I know Scott Rolen has some issues with whether he's staying or going, but that won't faze him one bit. He's a gamer. I haven't seen any sign of back trouble. As long as he stays healthy, he's going to have a hell of a year. ... Doug Glanville is adequate. There's nobody there to push him. Marlon Byrd is a kid with great upside. He doesn't belong in the big leagues yet, but if he gets it done in Triple A and if Glanville falls on his face, he could be the guy. He could be a star in the immediate future. ... Mike Lieberthal looks good. He's another reason they'll be better. He's very good at handling pitchers, throwing and hitting for power. He hasn't lost a stride off his game. ... The bench is pretty solid. Tomas Perez improves every year -- a good middle infielder who can run, bunt and put the ball in play. ... Robert Person leaves too many balls up in the strike zone, and when he does that he gets hit. He got away with some mistakes last year but he's been getting clobbered this spring. ... The best performance I saw all spring was by Vicente Padilla . He was sinking the ball, making it run, throwing hard sliders; if Jose Mesa falters, he could be their closer."

He's accommodating and charismatic, gracious and well-spoken, with a quick smile. His looks are more center-stage-on-TRL than leftfield-at-the-Vet. As it happens, leftfielder Pat Burrell can field his position and swing the bat, too; last year in his first full season, he had 27 home runs and 89 RBIs, the most home runs by a Phillies leftfielder since Greg Luzinski in 1978. Beyond that, Burrell's 18 assists led the National League at his position.

Don't think Burrell is simply a power-hitting Justin Timberlake. "Pat's as old school as they come," says Philadelphia manager Larry Bowa. "He's usually the first guy here, he's always prepared and he's harder on himself than I'll ever be. He'll be an impact player in this lineup for a long time." While he appreciates the praise, Burrell is quick to deflect it. "The attention's nice," he says while reclining at his Clearwater, Fla., home, "but I want to know that I've earned whatever acclaim or leadership role I might have. And if someday I'm that guy, then so be it."

Ready or not, Burrell's someday is now, and for that he has All-Star third baseman Scott Rolen to thank. When Rolen held a press conference on the second day of spring training to explain why he planned to pass on the Phillies' 10-year, $140 million offer so he could test the free-agent waters after the season, it seemed clear this year would be Rolen's last in Philadelphia. Rolen also irked some teammates when he suggested that Philadelphia's stand-pat off-season -- the only notable signing was that of free-agent pitcher Terry Adams, while the division rival Braves and Mets made dynamic, expensive acquisitions -- was evidence of the Phillies' lack of commitment to winning. (Subtext: The players on hand aren't good enough.) The Rolen situation was fouling the chemistry in a young Phillies clubhouse. But meetings between Rolen and teammates, the most prominent of them a one-on-one with Burrell, smoothed things over. "It's a nonissue now," says Rolen. "It's water under the bridge."

"Everyone wants Scott to stay in Philly," Burrell says. "He's a grown man, and he'll make that decision on his own." Adds Bowa, "Pat's a leader here. He's conscientious, but he's not afraid to confront a teammate."

If Philadelphia is to contend, Burrell must emerge not only as a leader but also as the consistent power hitter he was thought to be when the Phillies made him the first pick in the 1998 draft. Burrell knows there's plenty of room to improve on last year's numbers -- especially his 162 strikeouts, third most in the National League -- and he should get better, given his relentless work ethic. He studies hours of film each day, and this spring he has been working with new hitting coach Greg Gross to shorten his swing. "I'm not a good enough athlete not to work," he says, "and with all the study tools here, I'd be crazy not to use them."

Last year was Philadelphia's second winning season in the last 15. To make it three in 16, the Phillies' other young stars -- notably speedy shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who as a rookie last year had a league-leading 46 stolen bases, and rightfielder Bobby Abreu, who signed a $64 million extension in the off-season and looked healthy after an emergency appendectomy in early February -- can't afford any falloff in production. Just as important, given how well he handles young pitchers, is All-Star catcher Mike Lieberthal's return from a season-ending tear of his right ACL last May.

A repeat of last year's 86 wins probably won't be enough to earn the Phillies their first playoff berth since 1993 -- just don't tell that to Burrell. "Watching the Mets and Braves sign all those guys was awesome," he says. "It'll just make it that much more fun." O.K., so maybe the kid's still got a few more things to learn.

Issue date: March 25, 2002