CF Corey Patterson had a change of heart. After resisting hitting in the leadoff spot last month, he's been looking for a consistent spot to hit in. He decided that with his speed and hitting abilities, he could handle batting leadoff again after doing it for two months last year and 18 times earlier this year.
Patterson led off on Wednesday for the first time since May 15 against Washington.
"He called me over (Tuesday) and told me he was thinking about some things and what Vince told him and he thinks he can help this team batting leadoff," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "Neifi (Perez) was doing a great job but Corey can do more things. He can steal more and get more into the flow of the game and help control the flow of the game by what he does. He's ready to be the igniter.
"When he called me over, I didn't know what he was going to tell me. But that was good news to my ears."
Patterson said, "I think this will be better for myself and for the team. I possess the things you need to have for the position and I came to the conclusion that it would be better if I batted there. With my tools, it's the right position."
I'm not sure Corey is gonna work out as a leadoff batter. He has the same number of SB's as HR's. He needs to get more agressive on the base paths because he has speed. We will see how this works out, hopefully for the better. He never has been the same since that knee injury .