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Patterson reborn in Baltimore? Posted by Bret Cohen at 1/9/2006 7:11:00 PM View more posts by this author

The Orioles just dealt for Corey Patterson, and assuming he settles down this spring and doesn't strike out more than once a game he should have a good shot at wrestling the starting center field job away from Luis Matos. If he can get his act together, it'll be interesting to see where the Orioles would fit him in the order. My gut says he'd bat near the end of the lineup, but with their overall lack of speed the Orioles could use him near the top. Baltimore has one of the top leadoff hitters in the game in Brian Roberts, and Melvin Mora and Migel Tejada are better suited to bat 3-4, but Patterson failed miserably in his stint as the #2 hitter in Chicago for his failure to make contact. If he can regain his stroke (under one of the better hitting coaches in the game, Terry Crowley) and can put up another 25-25 season, that's one less piece of the puzzle the O's need to worry about. The bottom line is they traded two low-tier prospects for the upside of Patterson -- it's a no-risk high-reward proposition, and a great move by the much-maligned GM Mike Flanagan.

Comments....

The Orioles didn't have to give up much to get Patterson so it's probably worth taking a chance on him. I'd really doubt that he's ever going to be able to reduce his strikeout rate, although he could still be productive. The problem is going to be if the Orioles stick with him for too long while he hits .250/.285/.380 again. Posted by herbilk at 1/10/2006 12:07:00 PM

I'm less concerned about the strikeouts than the lack of walks. The idea of putting Patterson anywhere near the top of the order before he can at least get on base at .330 or better clip is incredibly damaging to their chances of maximizing their run scoring opportunities. Posted by Erickson at 1/10/2006 1:09:00 PM

Patterson never developed at all as a Cub, but then again what young player does under Dusty Baker? I'd say the odds are against him because he's gotten by on his athleticism for so long and didn't make the adjustments he needed to thus far, but it's true they didn't give up much. It's a good risk given that they need a long term solution in CF. If Patterson can go .280/.330/.490 and play well defensively, he's useful. Posted by cliss at 1/16/2006 3:52:00 PM

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