Phil Sheridan | Phillies add new fire to their lineup

There isn't much chance the Phillies deliberately attempted to add energy and attitude to their roster by emulating the Eagles' mid-season resurgence.

So it's mere coincidence the Phillies traded for Freddy Garcia, claimed Anderson Garcia off waivers and signed Karim Garcia to a minor-league contract during the same one-month span Jeff Garcia was pumping up the local football fans with his fiery presence.

What is not a coincidence, though, is the continuing transformation of the personality of this baseball team. That jumped out at you yesterday, when the Phillies held one of their off-season meet-and-greets for the media at Citizens Bank Park.

From their 2006 everyday lineup, the Phillies last year traded away Bobby Abreu and David Bell. Going into 2007, their replacements will be Shane Victorino in right field and Wes Helms at third base.

Subtract poker-faced, major-league-cool players.

Add high-motor, high-energy, hustling players.

It's hard not to recognize the formula. It's impossible not to note that it leaves one rather glaring exception to the new order.

Pat Burrell.

Yes, the enigmatic leftfielder will be back. It is impossible to tell for sure whether Burrell won general manager Pat Gillick over last year, or whether Gillick simply couldn't trade the cloud and has chosen to believe he kept the silver lining.

"You know what, he really didn't have a bad year last year," Gillick said. "You look at his home runs and his RBIs, he had a pretty good year. I know that Pat likes playing here in Philadelphia and likes living here during the season and has a positive attitude about coming back. I think he's going to put up pretty big numbers this year."

If there is a lesson in all this, it is that numbers don't tell the whole story. This galls the sabermetricians and Money Ballers. It is completely lost on those who worry only about their fantasy teams. Nevertheless it is true that there are some things you just can't quantify, no matter what Bill James or Billy Beane say.

This issue is best understood by looking at last year's trade of Abreu to the New York Yankees. Well into October, many e-mailers complained that the Phillies would have won the extra couple games needed to reach the playoffs if they hadn't foolishly given Abreu away. But the fact is, the team didn't really start playing well together and winning until Abreu was gone.

You want numbers? The Phillies' record before the deal: 49-54. After the deal: 36-23.

Abreu is, by any measure, a very talented and productive player. He's a perfectly decent guy. And yet the Phillies were a better team without him (or Bell or Cory Lidle) on the roster.

In Victorino, the Phillies get a totally different kind of rightfielder. He said he expects to hit .300, score 100 runs and make a serious jump by stealing 30 to 40 bases. Just as important, he and Aaron Rowand give the Phillies two very good defensive outfielders. Burrell, of course, is the third.

"Aaron is a great centerfielder," Victorino said. "With me and him out there, we're going to cover a lot of ground. He can give up some of right and go out and help Pat cover some of his ground out in left."

In Helms, the Phillies probably lose a little defensively (especially compared with Bell's in-season replacement, Abraham Nunez), but they add a guy who can hit .300 with some pop in his bat. In their ballpark, Helms might be a 25-homer guy.

Last year, in this space, I made the argument that the problem with the Phillies lineup wasn't that they had Jimmy Rollins batting leadoff. It was that they had, in Bell and Mike Lieberthal, seventh- and eighth-hole hitters playing positions that usually provide No. 2 through No. 5 hitters.

Helms may not give the Phillies A-Rod production, but he completes what could be the most productive offensive infield in the National League. Unlike the world-weary Bell, he sounds as if he gets what fans are looking for here.

"They want so see hard-nosed baseball," Helms said. "That's the kind of baseball I like to watch, too. I've never bragged about my numbers, but I always say that I'm willing to run through a wall to get to a ball."

Rowand tried that literally last year, and it probably hurt his overall performance for the season. Hurting yourself isn't the point. Being willing to, if necessary, is the point.

In a sense, the changes make Burrell stand out a little bit more. With Abreu, Bell and Lieberthal gone, he's the last of the cool customers on this roster. In another sense, though, these changes will help Burrell play his game without so much scrutiny.

And, hey, if he really wants to blend in and be liked, he can always change his name to Garcia.

Phillies general manager Pat Gillick: Team is more talented in 2007, thanks to added pitching depth.

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