Ibanez, who was acquired in the off-season as a free agent from the Seattle Mariners, has caused passionate Phillies fans to forget about the man who occupied left-field on a day-to-day basis for almost nine full seasons.  Burrell was a former number one overall pick by the Phillies in the late-1990s and he has been a fan favorite in Philadelphia for most of his time in the City of Brotherly Love.

After the Phils won the World Series in October 2008, all the baseball fans in Philadelphia knew that Pat Burrell was to be a free agent and there was concern around the city that the Phillies organization would not re-sign him.  During the winter meetings, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. made it clear that he was interested Raul Ibanez.  Of course all the Phillies fans knew was that he played in Seattle, a team that was very rarely seen on televisions in the Philadelphia area, and that he was 36-years old, a whole three years older than Burrell.

Despite all the potential criticism, Amaro knew what a great player Ibanez was and he signed the veteran outfielder to a three-year contract.  As a result, Burrell signed with the team the Phillies beat in the World Series, the Rays, and only received a two-year contract to be mainly a designated hitter.

Burrell made a couple memorable returns to Citizen’s Bank Park in the beginning of the 2009 season with an exhibition game and an emotional World Series ring ceremony.  In the exhibition game as a member of the Rays, Burrell unloaded on a Cole Hamels fastball, reminding Phillies fans of what they would be missing in the upcoming 2009 season.  Then in the ring ceremony, Burrell received the loudest and longest cheer from the Phillies faithful when presented with his championship ring.  Pat’s ovation lasted longer than even current Phillies superstars Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

But to this writer, it seems like ages ago when Pat Burrell was a member of the Phillies, in the ballpark as a member of the Rays and receiving his championship ring.  Raul Ibanez has made all of the Phillies fans forget that there was any other Phillies player that played left-field in recent years.  The Phils faithful has embraced Ibanez as the great player that he is.  Signs in the stands at Citizen’s Bank Park read “I-BOMB-EZ” and now you can see quite a few fans wearing the number-29 Ibanez jerseys.  And typical to Philadelphia, a new chant that goes “RAOOOOL” and sounds like “BOOOO” is now heard throughout the ballpark every time Ibanez steps to the plate.

There is no doubt that Raul Ibanez has won over Phillies fans with his timely hitting, solid defensive play and his hustle both in the field and on the base paths.  Does anyone in Philadelphia remember the beloved Pat Burrell?  I’m sure there are many who do, but Ibanez is easily causing some fans to forget.

On January 5th, 2009 the Rays acquired Pat “the bat” Burrell from the world champion Phillies. On Tuesday the Rays added Gabe Kapler in an attempt to bolster their right-handed hitting depth.

With the addition of a few key players both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, RBI Magazine was wondering just how good was the Rays lineup becoming. We found exactly what we needed over at RaysIndex.com! If the season was to start today this is what the guys over at RaysIndex.com have projected as the starting lineup/rotation;

2B Akinori Iwamura
LF Carl Crawford
CF B.J. Upton
1B Carlos Pena
3B Evan Longoria
DH Pat Burrell
RF Gabe Gross
C Dioner Navarro
SS Jason Bartlett

Working the pine but seeing the field on a regular basis is projected to be; Gabe Kapler, Willy Aybar, Ben Zobrist, and Shawn Riggans. RaysIndex.com says Gabe Kapler will start against lefties in right field. Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist figure to see plenty of playing time at various positions.

The starting rotation seems to be becoming more potent than ever including starting pitchers James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, and Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays closers include; Grant Balfour, JP Howell, Chad Bradford, Joe Nelson, and Lance Cormier.

One thing is for sure, the Rays have plenty of solid options in the bullpen and in the outfield. The team’s greatest challenge will will be trying to figure out who will play where. With that being said, the Rays are already well equipped for the 2009 season and I am sure they are ready to slap a sting on Philly during the first week of the 2009 season.

***April Games To Watch

4/3/2009 Tampa Bay@ Philadelphia – Opening Day Preseason at Citizen’s Bank Park (RBI Magazine will be in attendance)….
4/6/2009 Tampa Bay@ Boston – Opening Day at Fenway Park
4/13/2009 Tampa Bay vs. New York Yankees – Home Opener at Tropicana Field

These fantasic pictures have been released under the Creative Commons license by Keith Allison of Flicker.

Burrell who is 32 years old, batted .250 for the World Champion Phillies last season, and tallied 33 homeruns and 86 total RBIs overall in 2008. Burrell has never played for another team except the Phillies in his 9-year career until now.

**Correction: As previously reported: Pat Burrell never did receive a formal offer from the Phillies worth $22MM. The information about the offer was based on a report written by a Philadelphia News Source. A person who remains anonymous contacted RBI Magazine stating the following; “I work for the phillies organization. Pat Burrell was not offered any sort of formal contract. He and the phillies never formally spoke about a new contract.”

Also, MLBTR also confirmed the rumor was started by sloppy reporting from a highly credible Philadelphia News Source that will remain nameless.

Anyway…

How do the Rays benefit from all of this? How about a 3-4-5 consisting of Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Pat Burrell possibly being part of the best offensive line-up in baseball. Don’t you think?

Overall, good move by the Rays! A move that may just sting the Phillies in the “tush” come next season.

Burrell who is 32 years old, batted .250 for the World Champion Phillies last season, and tallied 33 homeruns and 86 total RBIs overall in 2008. Burrell has never played for another team except the Phillies in his 9-year career.

If Burrell does eventually reach a deal with the Rays, he will be accompanied in the outfield by players such as Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. The Rays may also use Burrell at the DH position.

As a Phillies fan, it will be sad to see him leave..and life goes on.