Athletes - Corey Patterson

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Corey Patterson

	Athletes - Corey Patterson

Donald Corey Patterson (born August 13, 1979 in Atlanta, Georgia) better known as Corey Patterson, is an American baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles.

He was drafted third overall in 1998 by the Chicago Cubs, and called up from the minors in September 2000 to play center field. Corey didn't start playing a full season until 2002 where he finished with a .253 batting average. In 2003, he started to become the All-Star the Cubs were looking for, batting .298 with 55 RBIs in only 83 games before injuring his knee while running to first on a base hit against the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, he has lost the consistency that he displayed in 2003.

Patterson played 157 games in 2004, with a .266 average, 24 home runs, and 72 RBI in 631 at-bats. He throws right handed and bats left handed. His brother, Eric, was drafted by the Cubs in the 8th round in 2004. Corey's father, Don Patterson, played in the NFL for 2 years.

Corey Patterson is a player gifted with many tools, tools which made him a prized prospect in the Cubs organization. Patterson has superb speed and is an above average base-stealer. Many say Patterson was robbed of the 2004 Gold Glove in centerfield, the award given to best defensive player at each position. Whether leading off or hitting in the middle of the order, Corey shows excellent power, but also a tendency to overswing and go after bad pitches. As a result, he has earned the nickname, "Korey," due to his high rate of strike-outs and the use of the letter "K" to designate strikeouts in baseball scorecards.

The 2005 season began slow for Corey and only got worse. On July 7, 2005, he was sent down to AAA Iowa during a season in which he struggled from the plate. The demotion came after the Cubs had lost a season-high eight games in a row, and reflected his precarious standing with the team. Published reports indicated that center fielder Felix Pie (pronounced Pie-ay), the Cubs' top prospect, was slated to be called up from AA West Tenn in July when Patterson was sent down. However, an ankle injury sidelined Pie and the Cubs called up Adam Greenberg instead. Pie is expected to make his major league debut in 2006.

Patterson was back up with the major league team on August 9, 2005, after his one-month stint in AAA. During the time in AAA, centerfielder Jerry Hairston, Jr. injured his elbow diving for a flyball. Instead of calling up Patterson to regain his role as starting centerfielder, the Cubs activated three disabled players and started Jose Macias in center. Patterson was apparently angered by the snub, even though that decision came while he was mired in a slump in Des Moines. Following his return, Patterson's hitting worsened. He also earned the derision of his peers for saying "It's just a game." after a game in Colorado where he stranded baserunners in key situations. Corey insists that he said "It's just the game," implying that struggles are a part of baseball.

Patterson was traded by the Cubs to the Orioles on January 9, 2006, for A-level minor league prospects Nate Spears and Carlos Perez.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Corey Patterson ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Corey Patterson; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Athletes - Corey Patterson

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay