Back to basics for Patterson

[awefullspellare]

Back to basics for Patterson
Outfielder working hard to retool swing this offseason
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

MESA, Ariz. -- Corey Patterson is starting over.

After a frustrating season with the Chicago Cubs in which he hit only .215, Patterson will spend this offseason revamping his hitting stroke. He got started four days after the regular season ended in the cages at HoHoKam Park. It could save his career.

"It's nobody's fault. I did it," Patterson said in an interview in Mesa, Ariz., where he was watching his brother, Eric, play in the Arizona Fall League. "Sometimes you have to make things simple and get back to basic stuff."

Patterson took the first step when he worked with Dave Keller, the team's Minor League roving hitting instructor. The two met in July when the Cubs decided the center fielder needed to do something to get back on track. Patterson was batting .232 when he was sent to Triple-A Iowa after a July 7 doubleheader against Atlanta. Keller and Patterson met at the Cubs' facility in Mesa.

"I said, 'We're trying to get you out of your comfort zone,'" Keller said.

Patterson had been successful with bad mechanics, and the Cubs wanted him to make some adjustments.

"How many guys will come to Arizona in July?" Keller said. "We hit in that cage and it's 115 degrees and we're hitting on the field, and it was hot. It was smokin' hot. We worked.

"There were drills I wanted to do with him just to figure out where his balance was, just to figure out where he was with all his movement," Keller said. "There were some drills he didn't like, and some he liked. We tried to use the drills he liked to help him get to another stage in his swing. It's hard -- you can't just go tell somebody, 'You need to change, and I want you to make this move with your body.' It's very, very hard physically to get guys in the right position. The first thing you're going to want to do is revert back to your old habits."

Rest of Article Here

This is it for Corey. His last shot I think. Either he plays like we know he can (ala before injury) and becomes a star, or we move on. Heck, we might even move on before this next year.

[rockin500]

he's just gotta show he can do something. at least he is trying to break out of the bad habits, but he's probably our best option unless we want to splurge on Damon or wait on Pie.

[Cubs2317]

The only basics Corey Patterson should be learning is how to bag groceries. I once liked Patterson but his hitting and his defense are getting worse by the season. It's a shame too. He's got the talent to be a star.