Rowand, the New Burrell

Aaron Rowand’s $14 million/year asking price got me thinking….At that salary, maybe Pat Burrell’s white elephant $15 million/year (2008 is the last year of that monstrous deal) isn’t so bad after all. Is it possible that the average major league outfielder’s contract has finally caught up to Burrell’s then-premium deal?

 

Let’s go to the numbers.

 

Rowand played in all but one game, with 189 hits, 105 runs, 45 doubles, 27 homers and 89 ribbies. He batted .309 with a .374 OBP, and a .515 slugging average.

 

Burrell played in 155 games (though was occasionally taken out late in games for defensive purposes. Rowand is one of the top defensive centerfielders in the league). Burrell had 121 hits, 26 doubles, 30 homers and 97 ribbies. He batted .256 with a .400 OBP (owing to his amazing 114 walks) and slugged .502. Burrell had one more strikeout (120) than Rowand, which in itself is amazing cause the iconic image Phillies fans hold of Burrell is flailing away – hands high, ass out - at the low and outside pitch for the whiff.

 

To summarize:            .309     .374     .515     189      45        27        89

                                    .256     .400     .502     121      26        30        97       

 

As my brother noted in last month, Burrell really turned it around in the second half of the season and produced like a true leftfielder. “Not a $15 million outfielder, but a solid, professional effort,” said my brother. So if Phillies fans still harbor resentment and frustration with that level of production for $15 million/year, surely no one would be pleased if the Phillies met Rowand’s asking price of $14 million for nearly identical offensive numbers.

 

I suppose there is a chicken and egg question to the Burrell/Rowand deals. Is Rowand seeking comparable money cause Burrell’s contract is now the standard for such production? Or is Burrell’s salary – offered back then more out of projections than tangible results - out of whack for that kind of offense and Rowand is similarly overpricing himself? Or, as I queried earlier, is $14-15 million/year now the going rate for 30 HRs, 93 RBIs (not even 100!), and a.500 slugging average?!

 

Only in Philadelphia.