Up Close With The Pittsburgh Sports Report
Jeromy Burnitz

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent outfielder Jeromy Burnitz to a one-year, $6 million deal with a mutual option for the 2007 season. The Pirates' courtship of Burnitz was their second in as many years. He was the only prominent free agent they pursued last off-season, and they narrowly lost out on his services to the Chicago Cubs. Burnitz, who will turn 37 this month, fits the description of the type of player Bucs' GM Dave Littlefield had been targeting for right field. In 13 big league seasons, he has a .255 career batting average with 299 home runs and 932 RBIs. He has topped the 30 home run plateau six times, and the 100 RBI mark on four different occasions. PSR's George Von Benko caught up with Burnitz during spring training in Bradenton.

PSR: Spring training is winding down and there are some new faces on this club along with a new manager and coaching staff. There is a lot of optimism in camp. Is there good reason for that?

Burnitz: This organization is making an effort to turn around. Things are starting off on a new foot and there are a lot of new things. The attitude is solid and the manager is an upbeat positive guy with a solid staff. It's a good group of guys and I'm starting to have some fun and getting to know some people - so everything is going well, and the team has played well in the exhibition games, which has made things even better.

PSR: The Pirates pursued you last off-season when you signed with the Cubs, and they came after you again this off season. It's has to make you feel good that they wanted you that much.

JB: It always feels good to be desired. It's that simple. You're right, they tried to get me for a couple of years and this year here I am, and I hope that the effort that they put into getting me that I can make it worth their while. I'm here to try and play as good as I can and live up to whatever they want me to do.

PSR: You don't have great career numbers at PNC Park. You've indicated that might have more to do with the pitchers that you've faced as opposed to the park itself.

JB: That's for sure; the park's a good place. I always feel good there. I love it and I think it's a really nice place to show up to work and that's really one of the things that I'm excited about. It's showing up at a nice place to work, and I've been to a lot of stadiums that weren't great to show up at. But the pitchers have been tough on me at PNC Park. The last three years, the teams that I've been on, these guys have pitched some of their best games against us. I remember a bunch of those games. PNC Park…I haven't hit that good, but that means nothing to me. It's not the park, it's all about the pitching or your own mistakes that you make, no matter where you're hitting at.

PSR: What about the young pitching staff? Is there a reason to be excited about these guys?

I've been on the teams when some of these guys have had their "reach-their-potential" games. If you look at the records and the ERAs, sometimes they don't look that good. My personal experience with them gets me excited because a couple of them have some really good dominating stuff, and Duke has got some great control and he already pitches like a seasoned veteran. There is some reason for excitement - we're all looking forward to watching them perform on a daily basis.

PSR: The Pirates went out signed you, Joe Randa and Sean Casey to put some hitters around Jason Bay. Are you encouraged by the moves?

JB: Yeah, I'm excited, because Randa's a longtime solid proven big league player, just like Casey and me. There's some potential to hopefully drive in some important runs and that's really what I'm after, is to hit the ball when it counts and make some offensive impact on the actual wins and losses. That's what I'm trying to do. I know Casey is already fully capable of having great at bats in situations as well as Randa. Just the three guys in the lineup that are capable - I don't know if that was there last year. I can't judge last year's team, but that being said, if the three of us can have good at bats in situations, it's going to have a direct impact.

PSR: Can the team make a splash in the NL Central?

JB: Why not? It's a competitive division and it always is. It seems to come down to the wire every year. Obviously the Cardinals are always tough and they do a great job, and every year the Astros seem to turn it up a notch at the end of year. The Cubbies always seem to have a chance to make a move, can they do it? The Pirates are usually somewhere on the fringe, and it's a fine line between these levels we're talking about. You think it's a big step and it's not really a big step. It's a small step to take for a team to play three or four games better every month. Do I think that can happen? Absolutely, I choose to believe that.

John Perrotto, Beaver County Times
If Burnitz has another 30-homer, 100-RBI year left in him, the offense should be improved enough to enable the Pirates to make a bid for their first winning season since 1992.

Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies manager
Jeromy Burnitz is a good ballplayer. He will hold down his own, he has pretty much everywhere he has played. He will provide some offensive run support, he will score some runs and he will drive some in.

John Sacco, PSR Senior Editor
I would think his style is tailor-made for PNC Park. I see Burnitz as a guy who could put up some impressive numbers at home. I also think he'll be a much better right fielder than the club has had there.

Guy Junker, ESPN Radio
Jeromy Burnitz defies age. He's hit 61 homers while playing 310 games the last two seasons. Unless he hits the wall turning 37 this month, he should provide some needed power, a lot of strikeouts, and a better than average glove.