Giving Him his Due

The perennially maligned Pat Burrell gets some props for being the steady Eddie of the first half of the season. Some of these numbers are kind of surprising for a guy with a reputation as a whiff king and choke artist.

 

From the Inqy: “Burrell has remained one of the most consistent presences in the lineup. He leads the team with 93 starts, and his on- base percentage has been over .400 since the fourth game of the season. He is hitting .275, with 23 home runs and 57 RBI, and in moments like his eighth-inning at-bat against Chad Qualls, has shown a penchant for putting the team on his back at opportune times. Thirty-eight of his RBI have occurred in tied or one-run situations, and he is hitting .320 in "late-and-close" situations (plate appearances that occur in the seventh inning or later with the score tied or the tying run at least on deck).”