Giants OF Pat Burrell Will Retire
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS Sports) -- San Francisco Giants outfielder Pat Burrell is ending his career in baseball, CBS Sports has confirmed.
As the No. 1 overall pick of the 1998 draft, Burrell came into baseball with a world of expectations. While he had a good career, Burrell didn't necessarily have the great career so many predicted.
PHOTO: SF Giant Pat Burrell
But he did hit 292 home runs, twice finished in the top 14 in MVP voting and was a key contributor on two World Series winning teams, the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies and the 2010 Giants.
RELATED CONTENT: Retiring Burrell stacks up well vs. other No. 1 draft picks
Burrell spent two more years in the minors before appearing with the Phillies in 2000. That year he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting after hitting 18 home runs and driving in 79. In nine years with the Phillies, he hit .257 with 251 homers, winning the World Series in 2008, his final season in Philadelphia.
The Phillies didn't have need for the outfielder anymore in 2009, letting him sign with the Tampa Devil Rays as a DH in 2009, but he struggled in that spot, hitting just .218 with 16 homers in 2009 and the first part of 2010. Hitting .202 with two homers in his first 24 games in 2010, the Rays released him.
Burrell signed with the Giants and rebounded, hitting 18 homers in 96 games for San Francisco, winning another World Series.
After signing a one-year deal with the Giants for 2011, he couldn't replicate his magic of the season before, hitting .230 with seven home runs in 92 games thanks to a right foot injury that had a large part in his retirement. In parts of 12 seasons, Burrell finishes with a career .252 with 292 home runs.
(Copyright 2012 CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved.)
