As the first-overall pick in the 1998 draft, you’d expect Pat Burrell to be something of a hot prospect, and he certainly was. There were concerns with his athleticism and defense that proved prescient, but he was always expected to rake. John Sickels took a look back at Pat the Bat’s career:
John Sickels: Pat Burrell Prospect Retrospective
Burrell got into 37 pro games for Clearwater in the High-A Florida State League, hitting .303/.416/.530 with 27 walks and 22 strikeouts in 132 at-bats. In the 1998 book, I wrote “the main question for Burrell is his ability to hit for average.
Some scouts see him as a .300 hitter, with lots of walks, perhaps similar to Jeff Bagwell. Other observers regard him as a .260-.270 hitter, similar to Eric Karros, productive but not outstanding. My guess is that he won’t be as good as Bagwell but will be better than Karros.” I gave him a Grade B+ and ranked him the Number 20 hitting prospect in baseball.When Burrell came up in 2000, he finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Rafael Furcal, Jay Payton, and Rick Ankiel v. 1.0.
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