Corey Patterson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corey Patterson |
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Patterson with the Washington Nationals
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: August 13, 1979 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 18, 2000, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 2011, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .252 | ||
| Home runs | 118 | ||
| Runs batted in | 431 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Corey Patterson, born on August 13, 1979, is a former professional baseball player from America. He played as a center fielder. Today, he manages the Brookhaven Bucks team in the Sunbelt Baseball League. Corey also has a brother, Eric Patterson, who played baseball. His dad, Don Patterson, was a football player in the NFL.
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Corey's Early Baseball Days
Corey Patterson went to Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. In 1998, during his senior year, he helped his team win the Georgia state championship. He was an amazing player that year.
Corey had a batting average of .528. This means he got a hit more than half the times he tried. He scored 81 runs and hit 22 home runs. He also had 61 RBI (runs batted in) and stole 38 stolen bases. All this happened in just 38 games!
Because of his great skills, Corey was named to the first-team All-America teams by Baseball America and USA Today. USA Baseball chose him as their Amateur Player of the Year. The Baseball Coaches Association also named him co-national high school Player of the Year.
Starting His Professional Career
Joining the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs picked Corey Patterson as the third overall player in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. This was a big deal, showing how talented he was.
In 1999, Corey started playing professionally with the Lansing Lugnuts. They were a Class-A team in the Midwest League. He quickly became known as the league's top young player. He won the Prospect of the Year Award.
Corey led the league in slugging percentage (.592), which measures a hitter's power. He also had 72 extra base hits and 17 triples. He batted .320 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI. He was chosen for the league's all-star team twice that year. Baseball America called him the league's best young player.
After the 1999 season, Corey played in the Arizona Fall League. He was the youngest player there. He batted .368 with 4 home runs, 24 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 35 games. He was also named to that league's all-star team.
In 2000, Corey moved up to the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. This team was part of the Southern League. He was again named to the league's all-star team. Baseball America once more called him the league's top young player. He batted .268 with 22 home runs and 82 RBI. He finished second in the league for home runs.
Making His Major League Debut
After playing in the Southern League playoffs in 2000, Corey was called up to play for the Chicago Cubs. He made his first Major League game on September 18, 2000. This game was against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The very next day, Corey got his first Major League hit. It was a home run off a pitcher named Juan Acevedo. He ended the 2000 season with seven hits in 42 at bats and two home runs.
Corey started playing full seasons in 2002. He finished that year with a .253 batting average. In 2003, he was batting .298 with 55 RBI in only 83 games. However, his season ended early. He tore a ligament in his knee while running to first base on July 6. This injury stopped him from playing for the rest of 2003.
In 2004, Corey played 157 games. He had a .266 batting average, 24 home runs, and 72 RBI. His on-base plus slugging (OPS) was .771, which was his best in seasons where he played many games.
In 2005, Corey had a tough season. On July 7, he was sent down to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. This happened after the Cubs had lost eight games in a row. He came back to the Major League team on August 9, after about a month in Triple-A.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
On January 9, 2006, the Cubs traded Corey to the Baltimore Orioles. In his first year with the Orioles, he batted .276 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI. He also stole 45 bases, which was the third-highest in the American League.
In 2007, Corey signed a one-year deal with the Orioles. His contract was not renewed after that season.
Time with the Cincinnati Reds
On March 3, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds signed Corey to a minor league contract. He was added to the main team roster at the end of spring training. Dusty Baker, who was the Reds' manager and had also managed Corey in Chicago, helped bring him to the Reds.
Corey started the 2008 season as the center fielder for Cincinnati. He began the season well, but his batting average slowly dropped. On May 25, he had a tough game, going 0 for 8 in an 18-inning loss. The next day, a new young player, Jay Bruce, was called up to play center field. Corey was moved to the bench.
On May 28, Corey agreed to go back to Triple-A. But he was called back up just one week later, on June 4. This happened because another player, Ryan Freel, got injured. Corey ended the season with a .205 batting average.
Moving to Other Teams
Corey signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on December 18, 2008. He played well for their Triple-A team, batting .302. He was called up to the Nationals on June 13, 2009. However, he only played 5 games for them before being sent back to Triple-A. He was released by the Nationals on July 29, 2009.
Corey then signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on August 1, 2009. He played well for their Triple-A team, batting .331. But he struggled when he played for the main Brewers team.
On December 9, 2009, Corey signed with the Seattle Mariners. However, he decided to leave the team on March 31, 2010, after he was told he would not make the Major League team.
Back to Baltimore
On April 21, 2010, Corey rejoined the Baltimore Orioles on a minor league deal. He was promoted to the Orioles' main team on May 12, 2010.
On July 9, 2010, Corey hit his first career grand slam. This happened against the Texas Rangers. It was a very exciting moment. He hit the home run in the top of the 9th inning with two outs, tying the game at 6 runs. The Orioles then won the game in the 10th inning.
Playing for Toronto and St. Louis
On December 21, 2010, Corey signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He started the season on the disabled list because of a head injury.
Corey made his first game for the Blue Jays on April 11, 2011, against the Seattle Mariners. He hit a home run in that game and had 2 RBI.
On July 27, 2011, Corey was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was part of a trade that involved several players.
Later Career and Retirement
On January 30, 2012, Corey signed a minor league contract to return to the Brewers organization. He played 117 games for their Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds. This was the first season since his Major League debut that he did not play in the Major Leagues.
He signed with the New York Mets in February 2013, but they released him in March. He then signed with the Seattle Mariners again on April 30, 2013. However, he was released on June 6 after playing only 19 games.
Corey signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees on June 21, 2013. He became a free agent on November 4, 2013, which marked the end of his playing career.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
