Firing line

June 29, 2005 by cyberstoic

Last night, Corey Patterson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts batting leadoff for the Cubs. He was booed heavily. Then in the 8th inning he made a fantastic diving catch. He then alertly threw the ball to second for an inning-ending double play. He left the field to a standing ovation.

Patterson is clearly capable of moments of great brilliance on the baseball diamond, whether in the field, at the plate or on the bases. This is what makes his overall terribleness so frustrating to fans. I don't think Patterson's performance is a booing offense, but his slot in the batting order is.

Patterson may be stubborn in keeping his undisciplined, swing-from-the-heels approach to the plate, but he's clearly trying his darndest. I'm open to a trade if it means getting more than you give, though I'm not in the trade-him-now-no-matter-what camp. But that doesn't mean I believe he merits a a spot atop the batting order.

The numbers are startling: Of the 148 major-league hitters with at least 250 plate appearances (Patterson has 289), he has the 144th worst on-base percentage - .277. Of those 148 hitters, 133 see more pitches per plate appearance than he does -- 3.41. Of Patterson's 289 plate appearances, 75 -- 25 percent! -- have resulted in strikeouts. He is, at this moment, truly terrible.

One could make an argument that when a player gets this bad, he ought to be replaced in the lineup. That may or may not be an option, depending on one's opinion of Jerry Hairston Jr.'s ability to play center field. If that's the determination, fine. At least minimize the damage Patterson can do by batting him lower in the order.

And yet, and yet, and yet ... manager Dusty Baker insists on batting him first. And, to compound the travesty, he has backed up Patterson's whiffology with Neifi Perez's unique brand of easyoutism. Remember that list of 148 major-leaguers with at least 250 plate appearances? Perez's on-base percentage is 132nd worst -- .300. His career on-base percentage is .301. He is one of the worst hitters to ever play major-league baseball for an extended period of time.

Once again, necessity perhaps means Perez must play shortstop, thanks to Garciaparra's terrible injury. But why must he be put in a position where his reliably bad performance will hurt the team the most?

The Cubs won yesterday's game 2-0, following up a 2-0 win Sunday, but they cannot continue to shutout teams indefinitely -- even with Wood and Prior back in the rotation. Patterson's catch may have saved the game yesterday, but perhaps it wouldn't have needed saving if he and Perez hadn't combined to go 0-for-8. If one of them had been on base, Lee's third-inning home run would have been a two-run shot.

Patterson, now 25, may yet figure it out. I'd like him to do so with the Cubs. There's no good reason, however, for him to occupy precious real estate at the top of the order while he does so. Perez is more than one of those "proven veterans" Baker so adores, he's a proven outmaker. He oughtn't be anywhere near sniffing distance of the top of the lineup.

Baker simply cannot continue with this madness, not if he wants to give his club its best chance to win, not if he wants to keep his job.

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