Why Pat Burrell is Hitting .337

It comes as a pleasent and unexpected, yet welcomed shock that Pat Burrell is hitting the ball in April. Many of us, including myself, thought that "Pat the Bat" wouldn't get it going until at least mid-May, but as of now he's tied for 2nd in the Majors in dingers (8) and tied for 2nd in RBI (25). How is he doing this? Other than the fact that he's half-man, half-machine, it's because he buckled down and finally went to Spring Training not only on time, but bright and early when the pitchers and catchers reported...just kidding, he does that every year. Some blog that would have been, right? It's going to be tough without video, but I'm going to break down his swing and explain how he transformed himself from a strikeout victim, to a run-producer.

Stance:
If you noticed, he seems a little less showy than in recent years, and a little more focused on what he's at the plate to do. Part of his problem last year during most of his at-bats, he was always late on pitches and he would either strikeout or pop it up as a result. This season, he limited his bat movement before the pitch, therefore he now has more time to react to incoming pitches.

A second thing he changed was his lower half. I remember my mom and I would always make fun of him for flailing out at the end of every swing, with his big-ass sticking out on the follow-through. Now his feet are a little farther apart, creating more power, and a smaller swing radius making less room for error.

Contact:
At the point of contact, he is getting to the ball much quicker than he used to. He's seeing the ball much better, which allows him to drive his hands and back knee quicker, and hit line drives to the outfield. In the past, he was all upper-half and when he made contact, it was always a weak pop-up or a routine grounder. His mechanics are much more refined and he's able to hit for average and RBI's, rather than trying to hit a grand slam with two men on base.

Finish:
Instead of flailing himself out of balance every swing, he has learned to shorten up his swing and keep himself in a position to hit. Throughout your swing, it is said to keep your front leg-back leg balance 50-50 as best you can, but your body will naturally take you 60(front)-40 if you do everything right. Burrell has perfected that theory and has become a more effective hitter because of it.

Am I Milt Thomson? Nope, he's the guy who fixed Pat and gave the Phillies another weapon in the clubhouse. I'm the guy who knows how to hit, and praises improved players when they diserve it.