rockin500
02-19-2003, 09:36 AM
MESA, Ariz. -- Corey Patterson is the first to admit he should've been more patient at the plate in 2002. He had only two walks in 276 at-bats in the second half.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush and make excuses," the Chicago Cubs outfielder said Tuesday. "That's something I have to do better at. Two walks, that's really hard to do for a half a season."
He'll also confess to being frustrated with himself in his first season in the Major Leagues. A .253 average just doesn't cut it with Patterson.
But it was his first year. He's 23. The outfielder wants his critics to make sure they compare his inaugural numbers with those of other superstar players. Sammy Sosa batted .233 in his first year with the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Barry Bonds hit .223 in 1986 with Pittsburgh. Neither won Rookie of the Year.
Patterson wants everyone, including former Cubs manager Don Baylor, to know he has every intention of improving.
Baylor, now a coach with the New York Mets, criticized Patterson's "desire" and compared him to Oddibe McDowell, a highly touted prospect who made his big league debut at 22. McDowell's career ended after 830 games.
"I thought it was a little strange," Patterson said Tuesday when asked about Baylor's comments. "I guess you could say everyone is entitled to certain opinions about things. Being a first-year player, in my mind, I didn't have a bad year last year. It doesn't mean I'm where I want to be. Obviously, I have some work to do."
New Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Baylor never said anything negative about the young center fielder to him. Baker remembers Patterson playing solid defense and covering a lot of ground in center field in games between the Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Baker didn't pay close attention to Patterson's on-base percentage dipping from .320 in the first half to .240 in the second.
"I don't see a problem at all other than youth," Baker said.
Patterson has had to live up to the hype of being a first-round pick. He was the third player chosen overall in 1998 and batted .320 at Class A Lansing in his first professional year of baseball.
"I know what he's going through," Baker said of Patterson. "I was the next Hank Aaron coming up with the Braves."
Baker was sent back to the minor leagues -- as was Baylor -- when he was young.
"Hank's the one who sent me back. He said, 'He needs to go play,'" Baker said.
That doesn't mean Patterson is headed to the minors. The Cubs are preaching patience regarding Patterson, who this season has a better idea of what he needs to do.
"I've talked to (hitting coach Gary Matthews) about a couple things that I want to do," Patterson said. "This is the first year that I've gone to a coach and told them, 'This is what I want to work on, I think I found something that I like.' Before, I really didn't know what I wanted to do.
"For me, last year, even when I had some good games, they said, 'Remember what you did,'" Patterson said. "I could never tell anybody what I did. There was no foundation for me to go back to. I was just up there swinging."
First, Patterson has to clarify what type of batter he is. Is he swinging for the fences? Or hitting for average?
"Right now, the type of hitter I'll be is someone who makes good solid contact," Patterson said. "It's not going to be trying to hit the ball over the fence or hit the ball the other way and slap it on the ground. I want to make sure I make good contact."
He knows what he wants to do. That helps.
"Last year at the end of the season, I learned about a lot of things that I needed to improve on and some ways to go about doing that," Patterson said. "I learned that myself first. If I learn it myself, it makes it easier to communicate with somebody.
"Before, I was kind of frustrated and stubborn because what everybody was telling me -- and they might have been right -- but I didn't know how to do it in my own style or my own way," he said. "You have to feel good about what you're doing first before you can communicate with anyone else."
Baker talked to Patterson Tuesday about the criticism.
"My recommendation was to take the high road," Baker said. "'Don't let it bother you. Let it motivate you.'"
"I'm trying to be a great player," Patterson said. "I don't want to be an average player.
"There's always work to be done, you always want to improve," he said. "I'm not where I want to be but for me to say last year was a bad year, or anybody to say I had a bad year, I'm not going to accept that. Everybody has their own opinions on things. You've just got to move on and go from there."
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030218&content_id=201595&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
"I'm not going to beat around the bush and make excuses," the Chicago Cubs outfielder said Tuesday. "That's something I have to do better at. Two walks, that's really hard to do for a half a season."
He'll also confess to being frustrated with himself in his first season in the Major Leagues. A .253 average just doesn't cut it with Patterson.
But it was his first year. He's 23. The outfielder wants his critics to make sure they compare his inaugural numbers with those of other superstar players. Sammy Sosa batted .233 in his first year with the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Barry Bonds hit .223 in 1986 with Pittsburgh. Neither won Rookie of the Year.
Patterson wants everyone, including former Cubs manager Don Baylor, to know he has every intention of improving.
Baylor, now a coach with the New York Mets, criticized Patterson's "desire" and compared him to Oddibe McDowell, a highly touted prospect who made his big league debut at 22. McDowell's career ended after 830 games.
"I thought it was a little strange," Patterson said Tuesday when asked about Baylor's comments. "I guess you could say everyone is entitled to certain opinions about things. Being a first-year player, in my mind, I didn't have a bad year last year. It doesn't mean I'm where I want to be. Obviously, I have some work to do."
New Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Baylor never said anything negative about the young center fielder to him. Baker remembers Patterson playing solid defense and covering a lot of ground in center field in games between the Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Baker didn't pay close attention to Patterson's on-base percentage dipping from .320 in the first half to .240 in the second.
"I don't see a problem at all other than youth," Baker said.
Patterson has had to live up to the hype of being a first-round pick. He was the third player chosen overall in 1998 and batted .320 at Class A Lansing in his first professional year of baseball.
"I know what he's going through," Baker said of Patterson. "I was the next Hank Aaron coming up with the Braves."
Baker was sent back to the minor leagues -- as was Baylor -- when he was young.
"Hank's the one who sent me back. He said, 'He needs to go play,'" Baker said.
That doesn't mean Patterson is headed to the minors. The Cubs are preaching patience regarding Patterson, who this season has a better idea of what he needs to do.
"I've talked to (hitting coach Gary Matthews) about a couple things that I want to do," Patterson said. "This is the first year that I've gone to a coach and told them, 'This is what I want to work on, I think I found something that I like.' Before, I really didn't know what I wanted to do.
"For me, last year, even when I had some good games, they said, 'Remember what you did,'" Patterson said. "I could never tell anybody what I did. There was no foundation for me to go back to. I was just up there swinging."
First, Patterson has to clarify what type of batter he is. Is he swinging for the fences? Or hitting for average?
"Right now, the type of hitter I'll be is someone who makes good solid contact," Patterson said. "It's not going to be trying to hit the ball over the fence or hit the ball the other way and slap it on the ground. I want to make sure I make good contact."
He knows what he wants to do. That helps.
"Last year at the end of the season, I learned about a lot of things that I needed to improve on and some ways to go about doing that," Patterson said. "I learned that myself first. If I learn it myself, it makes it easier to communicate with somebody.
"Before, I was kind of frustrated and stubborn because what everybody was telling me -- and they might have been right -- but I didn't know how to do it in my own style or my own way," he said. "You have to feel good about what you're doing first before you can communicate with anyone else."
Baker talked to Patterson Tuesday about the criticism.
"My recommendation was to take the high road," Baker said. "'Don't let it bother you. Let it motivate you.'"
"I'm trying to be a great player," Patterson said. "I don't want to be an average player.
"There's always work to be done, you always want to improve," he said. "I'm not where I want to be but for me to say last year was a bad year, or anybody to say I had a bad year, I'm not going to accept that. Everybody has their own opinions on things. You've just got to move on and go from there."
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030218&content_id=201595&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp