Get Bourn: The Making of a Lead-Off Hitter

By Jessica Quiroli

The lead-off hitter sets the tone on the team, and can fire up the rest of the line-up if he is productive. He makes all the difference; the development and/or discovery of one, is also a tricky thing and the Phillies have had their troubles with that. The Phillies have been most successful with Jimmy Rollins as lead-off, the best they've had since Lenny Dykstra and they are hoping that twenty-two year old, Reading Phillie Outfielder Michael Bourn will be "the guy" in a few years.

In December of 2004 Bourn was voted by Baseball America as the Phillies fifth top prospect, behind Cole Hamels and Gavin Floyd; top on the list is Ryan Howard. Bourn holds his own distinction in that group of much-talked about future stars. He is considered the fastest player in Reading Phillies history... no small thing considering Larry Bowa once played there, and was known for his fantastic speed around the bases. Baseball America also pointed out he has the "Best Strike-Zone Discipline"; his outfield ability got him notice too. But that was Lakewood, the single A club affiliate of the Phillies; Bourn excelled there and proved his worthiness for being moved up in 2005.

When I caught up with him in the dugout at Reading on a sweltering hot day recently, he made it clear his results thus far this season are not as good as he'd like.

"I'd like to cut down on my strikeouts, cut down on my K rate," he admits. The pitching being more challenging at this level, where the pitchers throw harder and the fastball moves more, has been a bit of a struggle for Bourn; he is currently batting .269, with 21 RBI. Bourn seemed a bit disappointed by his current showing, saying "I'm doing okay, not good... just okay. I can do better. If I just keep on, I know I can get it." The fact is, Bourn has played in the most games of anyone this season (59, tied with Outfielder Jim Deschaine), and is second in runs batted in; he also leads the team with 17 stolen bases. Those results are not too shabby, but the kind of player Bourn has always been is to expect the best in every area of his game. Editor's note - Due to the passing of James Floto, this June article was bumped to July, and hence the numbers are out of date.

Bourn attended the University of Houston, where he experienced dizzying success and caused a buzz early on. At Houston he was known for his speed and for being big trouble on the bases when he got on. In just two full seasons, he was known as one of the top base-stealer in the college's history, and was one of the most valuable players on the team in the 2002 College Classic. His personality and style of play set the tone in the years he played there, and the Phillies brass noticed. In the June 2003 draft, Bourn was the team's fourth round pick. The success he had at Houston continues to shape Bourn's approach, as he's working to adjust at this new level. "I always have confidence," he states, "I don't lose it." He says that while double A pitching is obviously tougher, what he says "helped me a lot," was the fact that he'd already faced some tough pitching to get him ready in college, including Mark Prior. He had also entertained the thought of playing basketball professionally (he almost attended the University of San Francisco on a scholarship), but decided to go with baseball when faced with the choice.

Upon being moved up to double A Reading for the 2005 season, Bourn says he kept his focus the same as always. "I took the same approach. I want to do the same thing as last year," he explains in his tough-tone of voice, "I know they are gonna throw a little different, but I just adjust to what I see." Being moved up fast through the system, he says, did not overwhelm him. Though he's struggling to be the excellent lead-off hitter he knows he is capable of, his past success clearly instilled in him a confidence that doesn't let him question himself. "I'm not gonna try to change anything or try to do too much. I think that's when I overcompensate."

He says he considers hitting, "an art," and with that same cool-confidence, said he's not particularly inspired by any player in the game today. "I just play my own game. I don't really think [of it]." Certainly the Phillies see him as a Dykstra-Rollins type player, that mix of guts, speed and smart hitting approach, but he has had to work to build up his arm strength.

The Phillies have tinkered around and searched for that guy who can lead the lineup, and Rollins has been their best so far. Now that Rollins has signed a five year, 40 million-dollar deal with the Phillies it seems unclear when Bourn's time would come. Bourn's development will surely prove important over the next few years, however. The Phillies farm system has struggled of late and, it's been said, is rather depleted. Bourn's development matters.

Michael Bourn is experiencing a crucial season in his career, and he knows he's in the stages of proving himself; he has no fear of that. "I try to put high expectations on myself. I know I'm gonna work harder to meet those expectations."

The Phillies expectations are just as high. Stay tuned.