Cubs Dump Corey Patterson

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 10, 2006 7:41PM

Chicagoist remembers this kid at day camp who'd gladly give up his Jell-o pudding cup in return for some grapes. We think he might be working in the front office for the Baltimore Orioles these days. That's the only explaination we can come up with to explain how, for the second year in a row, the Cubs have been able to jettison a disgruntled disappointment of an outfielder to the O's.

Last year, it was Sammy Sosa who the Cubs sent packing to the Baltimore Orioles . This time, the Cubs rid themselves of Corey Patterson, by trading him to in return for two minor leaguers -- shortstop Nate Spears and left-handed pitcher Carlos Perez. And so the once highly-touted prospect rides off like so many players before him. The likes of Kevin Orie, Brant Brown, Gary Scott...

In hindsight, the Cubs may ponder whether they rushed Patterson to the Show too soon. He seemed to be a rising star when he came up, but when he returned to the field following a blown-out knee in 2003 he never seemed to progress. And in many ways he seemed to regress. His low batting average and high number of strikeouts made him an easy target for the drunken Wrigley fans. That kind of hometown support sure doesn't help. Maybe Patterson will turn things around in his new home and prove why the Cubs picked him 3rd overall. Or maybe his stubbornness in adjusting his approach will prevent him from ever making much of an impact. While it seems he's been around quite a while, he's only 26 so there's time for him to prove the Cubs wrong.