| Eric Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: April 8, 1983 Tallahassee, Florida |
|
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 6, 2007 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Career statistics (through 2010 season) |
|
| Batting average | .224 |
| Home Runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 42 |
| Stolen bases | 27 |
| Teams | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Competitor for United States | ||
| Pan American Games | ||
| Silver | Santo Domingo 2003 | Baseball at the 2003 Pan American Games |
Eric Scott Patterson (born April 8, 1983, in Tallahassee, Florida) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Detroit Tigers organization. He has also played second base in the majors, which he predominantly played in the minor leagues.[1] Patterson made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs on August 6, 2007.[2]
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Although Patterson originally was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 23rd round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft out of Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, he did not sign and went on instead to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology. With the Yellow Jackets, Patterson was named an Atlantic Coast Conference All-Star three times (2002-2004) and an All-American twice (in 2002 on the Freshman 1st Team, and in 2004 on the 3rd team). He was named to the USA Baseball team twice, in 2002 and 2003.[3] Patterson was selected in the 8th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs.
Patterson played in the 2006 All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh,[4] and was ranked the sixth-best prospect in the Cubs organization by Baseball America prior to the 2007 season.[5] He collected his first major league hit on August 7, by singling against Woody Williams in a game against the Houston Astros. On June 22, 2008, Patterson hit the first home run of his career.
On July 8, 2008, Patterson was traded along with pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, and catcher Josh Donaldson to the Oakland Athletics for pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin.
On June 22, 2010, Patterson was designated for assignment to make way for Coco Crisp on the A's roster. On June 26, 2010, Patterson was traded to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Fabian Williamson, after Dustin Pedroia was placed on the disabled list having sustained a nondisplaced fracture of the navicular bone on his left foot. He played a career-high 90 games in 2010, split equally between Oakland and Boston.[1]
On December 16, Patterson was traded to the San Diego Padres to complete the deal that sent Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox for Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes.[6][7] He was designated for assignment on June 9.[8] He was released by San Diego on December 15, 2011.
Patterson signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers on January 4, 2012.
Patterson's older brother, Corey, is also an outfielder in MLB. His father, Don, was a defensive back for two years in the National Football League (NFL).[1]