Certainly, we're well aware of Burnett's position. We'll see how he finishes spring training. He hasn't faced live competition at this point. |
Considering all things, I think it is a good result. |
Considering this will be his first full season making every start, I'm just looking for a consistent performance. If he learns the major-league scene and experiences a full year healthy, that will be progress. |
First and foremost, this guy is a very good player. He gave us excellent production and he's a quality guy. I certainly feel we've gotten in position to be a better major-league team. |
Generally you see this [irritation situation] as a result of guys trying to get started too quickly and do too much too soon. I think that's likely in this situation. |
Greg has done an unbelievable job. He has a fantastic commitment to his work and the Pirates. He never looks for attention but always gets the little things done. |
He came very fast last year. I don't want to put any restrictions on him, I'm just anxious to see how he does. |
He had no complaints, didn't have any issues with the trainers, played regularly, functionally improved as Spring Training went on. |
He hadn't bounced back like he had in the past. It became something that stayed with him. |
He has a lot of poise. He's a good competitor. He obviously had a very good spring. |
He has some left shoulder irritation. We don't anticipate this being any significant problem. |
He is a tough, feisty player for us who will put forth the effort. And I like tough guys. |
He is very effective against right-handed hitters. He had a great year last year and we look for him to continue that success with us next season. |
He played in the games and he had no issues with [our] trainers. |
He showed some power at the lower minor league levels, but as we got to the time where we had to put him on our roster, he didn't hit many home runs, he showed no power and there were concerns about his defense. We tried him at different positions, but we thought of him more as an American League guy. We didn't see the power that came later. Obviously, we were wrong. |