The Mysterious Case of Eric Patterson
by SamYam on Jun 21, 2009 9:24 AM PDT
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PrintWhile I was checking minor league stats last night, I noticed that Eric Patterson had another great night at the plate, going 4 for 5 with a home run. When I looked into his stats, I discovered that over his last 10 games, he is 20 for 42 (.476) with 3 home runs, 3 triples, and 2 doubles; he's just absolutely mashing right now. On the season, he's batting .326 (with an almost .400 OBP), and an OPS of .918. All signs point to him being ripe for a callup, and soon.
However, Eric Patterson remains one of the most maligned players on AN, and for good reason. In 30 games with the A's in 2008, he hit .174 and only slugged .207. His numbers from the minors last year, however, were actually almost identical to this year's. Although the sample size is, admittedly, quite small, it seems that for some, unknown reason (I know that some on this site have suggested a slow, looping swing; I can't vouch for that), the guy dominates AAA pitching but just can't get the bat around on a major league fastball.
But with the tear that Patterson is on right now, it's easy to make the case to call him up and give him one last chance. However, there is another problem here: where to play him? The positions he has played in the majors are: LF, and 2B. 2B seems to be out; Kennedy has been playing extremely well and Ellis is due back from injury soon, giving us an impending logjam there already. The corner outfield positions are taken by Holliday and Cust respectively; and with Buck coming back from injury, and destroying the ball in his rehab starts, not to mention a major league track record (spotted as it might be), if he gets out of the A's doghouse it seems like Buck would be a much smarter decision than Patterson. That leaves little room for Patterson. In addition, Patterson has been worth -5.1 runs in the outfield, while Buck has shown himself to be an average, if not spectacular, fielder. Thus, barring injury, there seems to be no spot for Patterson to have a chance to prove himself.
My thought is that we flip Patterson for some value, or include him as a piece in a trade, while we can. As a 26 year old, it's not worth it to wait on him and hope he can figure out his major league woes. However, his impressive (and consistent) minor league stats might make another team bite, giving us a chance for help at a position of need. If we do call up Patterson and he struggles again, this will hurt his value in a trade while doing nothing for the club. He is good trade bait while his stock is high.
Thoughts?
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patterson needs a shot
he’s a good enough athlete to play both the OF and 2b, lots of speed, and obviously can hit. He’s struggled in mlb stints, but also hasnt gotten much of an extended look. Has played some CF this yr but i have no idea how it was. I think if he was given 300+ ab’s putting him in LF/CF i wouldnt be surprised offensively if he outproduced a sweeney/buck. At worst, he’s a bench player similar to rajai but with some upside with the bat. He’s hit at the AAA very well since 06 and for whatever reason the cubs was passed up by veterans. If you look at the harden trade as a back end deal throw in type, he’s actually been the best player so far. Not his fault, he’s doing well in AAA to at least get another callup. As you said, I think if they just are not convinced they are better off trading him. Maybe pair him with eveland or a reliever and maybe find a solid/not great 3b type through trade.
CF is the only place he fits.
I wouldn’t be opposed to trying that; the A’s are in a position where they should feel comfortable trying anything. While it could turn out to be an unqualified defensive disaster, there’s no way he’d be worse than Sweeney or Davis offensively.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
+0.538
Give him a shot out there if we’re COMPLETELY out of contention in August and September.
"If you don’t start concentrating and catching the ball, you’re going to have to deal with my black ass!"- Wash
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2009 11:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually, I just thought of another place he fits.
DH. If he’s terrible defensively like Cust and (to a lesser extent) Giambi, what’s wrong with having a speedy DH?
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
having cust AND giambi in the field
to DH a hitter who has shown basically nothing at the major league level does not make much sense
holdin' it down for the bay from upper westside manhattan
He's not as terrible as Cust/Giambi though
Cust and Giambi are terrible out of corner OF/1B spots. Patterson is bad out of 2B/CF. There’s quite a bit of difference.
"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden
Patterson will have success at the ML level
I just hope that it’s with the A’s. My gut tells me that he’ll be dealt for a less than stellar prospect, a la Matt Murton this past offseason. It’s downright foolish to write the guy off on the basis of 150 ML PA; but if I were the GM of another team, I’d sure be hoping that the A’s have, because that’s how you find productive players at bargain basement prices.
by CapgrasDelusion on Jun 21, 2009 10:23 AM PDT reply actions
aw, too bad...
I was hoping he’d get called up so we could see Paul Lukas gush his manlove over at UniWatch…
"If you don’t start concentrating and catching the ball, you’re going to have to deal with my black ass!"- Wash
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2009 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Does he gush over Outman?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Of course...
"If you don’t start concentrating and catching the ball, you’re going to have to deal with my black ass!"- Wash
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2009 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Why not call Patterson up, play him in LF/RF,
with Cust at DH and Buck at AAA, and hope Patterson performs well enough to interest a team to give up more in a trade package? Everyone knows he can mash AAA pitching; the question is whether he can hit in the big leagues. The only thing that will boost his value is to hit in the big leagues; if he hits, you can trade him and call up Buck. If he doesn’t, you can stash him back at AAA or release him.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Buck is just at AAA right now
and has a better major league track record, and is thus more likely to have success at the major league level. He is also much better with the glove.
holdin' it down for the bay from upper westside manhattan
In addition,
Buck is hitting .424/,500/.697/1.197 right now.
Sure, it’s just 10 games – but it’s 10 games that are trying as hard as they can to say, “Bring me back up and give me another shot!”
On the one hand I'd hate for the A's to trade away a Nelson Cruz type again,
but on the other hand Patterson may really just be a 4A type. Its not that uncommon for someone to put up an OPS above 900 in AAA and still look totally lost at MLB – Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez come to mind. And as far as hot streaks go, Barton had that stretch a couple years ago where he was hitting over .400 in Sacto for something like six weeks, and he’s still not ready.
In Patterson’s case it might be best just to leave him where he can be a star, in hopes of generating some interest. With all the positions he plays, it seems like he could be very useful to an NL team.
by Rock Music of the 1970s on Jun 21, 2009 11:38 AM PDT reply actions
Patterson's limitation is that he's a poor defensive infielder and he has no power
So unless he can become a good defensive CFer – and at the moment he isn’t even a CFer at all – he would have to hit over .300 to be useful.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
The main problem is
He has no power yet has an uppercut swing.
And he can’t catch up to fastballs over 85 MPH.
Solace: Law says he's a fourth OFer
PaulThomas: I think Keith Law is only a fourth analyst
Give the kid another chance
30 games is a very small sample size to judge a kid unfit/sub par. If he can preform at the major league level you can then make the determination to trade him or use him as a replacement when some of the veterans get traded, (Holliday, O-Cab…).
PREPAREDNESS_Because those goddamn zombies aren’t going to kill themselves
Can he play 3B?
If he can handle LF and 2B, he should be able to handle 3B as well. Why not move him there in AAA for now, and see how he handles it.
No arm
Patterson doesn’t have the arm strength to handle 3B. Combine that with the poor footwork and technique he has shown at 2B likely makes third a no go.
And yet...
"A’s baseball….It’s almost better than a stick in the eye." ~ alox
by Gallagher's Watermelons on Jun 21, 2009 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions
he might be a tempting morsel to some team
if he were thrown in with Holliday in a trade. A built in prospect behind the expensive and gaudy free agent.
I actually could see him thriving in San Diego
He could hit a ton of triples, steal bases, and play a solid LF for them. We give up some good young pitching, and Patterson, in a deal to bring Chase Headley to Oakland!
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
yeah, for all my cardenas at 3B love
i’d be ecstatic if we got headley for a gio/patterson/a ball arm
I don't see getting good value by trading Patterson
in the current market. He doesn’t really fit any of the standard patterns for summer trades.
I think you’d do better to trade Adam Kennedy (right now, as opposed to waiting for the deadline) and then bringing Patterson up to take his place.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
but kennedy is hitting well at the major league level
even if it’s just for right now and he can play a decent second base. patterson has not shown he can do either of those things
holdin' it down for the bay from upper westside manhattan
Trade Kennedy
The fact that he is hitting at the MLB level is why he would have trade value. You won’t get anything of use for Patterson right now or perhaps ever. We can afford to trade Kennedy with Ellis coming back in a week.
I agree on Kennedy as the deadline approaches
Never underestimate the stupidity of the desperate team’s short-term thinking as August approaches!
Someone out there is going to want a “proven veteran” at 2B (because of a crappy incumbent, or even an injury) who “knows how to win.” And unless Kennedy goes into a total tailspin, his numbers are still going to look good in a month or so.
Kennedy is not a long-term answer for the A’s, and if Ellis comes back, trading AK won’t lose us that much on balance. As much as I love Ellis, nothing has made me appreciate his amazing defense like watching Kennedy every day, and he’s not a butcher, he’s just not that good.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Or, “Ellis wouldn’t have dropped that,” or, “Ellis wouldn’t have thrown that away.”
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Or Ellis wouldn't have pulled that ball into left field like that
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
Yes. I agree that Kennedy is a more productive hitter (at least this year)
My point is that Ellis is way, way better in the field, which makes up for a good deal of the offensive difference, and it’s very possible that Beane could get way more than Kennedy is worth from a playoff-contending team that’s desperate for a 2B.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Oh totally
I was just trying to be funny. Totally failed, but imagine that comment as saying “right field” instead of left (as I intended). Total fail really.
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!!!
RIGHT field!!!!! Bla-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!
You told it well, too.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
or "Ellis would have popped that up, but looked straight down at the ground as he ran toward first"
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
In 2+ years...
Buck hasn’t shown me a g.d. thing.
Maybe he needs to cut that damn hair!!!
I'll have a sandwich and a draft(sic). - Bill King (RIP)
I think he probably means in 2- years, as in 2008-09
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Maybe he needs to stay healthy and get enough playing time?
Solace: Law says he's a fourth OFer
PaulThomas: I think Keith Law is only a fourth analyst
Give it up
Dude is trade fodder.
Patterson has gotten a couple of chances with the A’s and blew both of them. The only position playing prospects who get enough time to adjust to the Majors are the uber-prospects. The rest get cups of coffee and must make the best of them. In all cases, they MUST show they can hit MLB pitching. If a prospect starts hitting, then slumps and has trouble adjusting, he’ll get more chances because he proved that he COULD hit.
Patterson not only has not been able, thus far, to hit major league pitching, but his defense is so inadequate that he’s also a liability in the field. Fact is, he doesn’t deserve another chance with the A’s no matter how well he hit in the minors. Both Buck and Barton showed, at one point, they COULD hit MLB pitching. Petit has shown the same thing. Patterson has not.
I see him as a Matt Murton type throw-in. And as such, he should get one or two chances with his next team. But he won’t have long to prove himself, three or four games at most, and if he goes 0-20, he’s gone again.
The one thing I would take issue with is that
Petit has shown he could hit MLB. I think it’s fair to say that in a sample as small as Petit’s he hasn’t really shown anything one way or the other. Which might its own point of fair criticism, but it’s a different point.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Petit seems be a potential Scutaro type
Nothing overly special, but has the potential to be a solid guy off the bench with the upside of a replacement level/limitedly tolerable starter. There’s really little reason why he shouldn’t get a chance to play in the majors with this team outside of Hannahan and Crosby being on it and in his way at the moment. So even if he does start struggling to hit, Petit, has value on a major league roster.
Patterson, if he’s not hitting, carries little value on the roster. This actually isn’t really an argument with or against you, just an observation from a semi-brain dead ANer.
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
yeah but patterson can hit and petit cannot
i think basically patterson would be a much more valuable starter, but isn’t a good bench player for obvious reasons, and petit is the opposite
no, Petit can hit and Patterson cannot...
or did I have that backwards?
Or, did I have that double backwards?
Aw f**k it. They both can’t hit.
"If you don’t start concentrating and catching the ball, you’re going to have to deal with my black ass!"- Wash
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2009 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Patterson is obviously the better hitter
Career Minor League lines:
Petit – .270/.325/.371
Patterson – .305/.370/.479
Petit passes the eyeball test.
He lacks power, but he hits the ball where it’s pitched and seems to know how to handle the strikezone.
One big poblem is that he handles the strike zone
by never walking. He really could hit .230/.270 with no power and I suspect the A’s feel that’s what he would do over a full season. Scutaro always had some pop in his bat, and he has learned how to be more patient. MAN would our team be better with him on it!
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
He doesn't tend to swing at rubbish.
Right now though people aren’t respecting his ability at the dish and just throwing strikes.
It’s a small sample size though and sadly his minor league numbers back up the fact that he’s a poor hitter.
I meant throughout the minors
He’s never been one to walk much.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Well, maybe you can't walk off the island,
but it only takes two days to walk from Sacramento to Oakland. Literally, of course!
"If you don’t start concentrating and catching the ball, you’re going to have to deal with my black ass!"- Wash
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2009 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, but you have to foul off a TON of pitches
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
No, but seriously
Why not give the kid a shot? If you’re going to lose 90 games, you might as well see what the kids down on the farm can do.
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