Eric Patterson is ungodly fast.....and now starting 2B?

[AussieDodger]

Mark Ellis and Nomar Garciaparra will both go on the DL with calf injuries today, and the A's will call up an infielder (likely Eric Patterson) and a reliever.

Ellis said he felt his left calf muscle pop as he left the box on a third-inning grounder. He's never had a calf strain before but he's been warned that they linger if not addressed properly and he had no doubt he'd be placed on the DL.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/indexn?blogid=21

He seems to have improved his plate discipline this year with a 13/13 K/BB, and going by last years 8 steal attempts from only 28 times on base we know that he is trusted by Oakland management to steal a base (a hard thing to achieve).

Could be a nice short term source of steals. If Chavez really is toast, Patterson could potentially move to 3B and be a year long source .

[Nails86]

Thanks a lot for the info bud.

Any idea how much he'll be playing and where in the order he'll bat?

[AussieDodger]

Thanks a lot for the info bud.

Any idea how much he'll be playing and where in the order he'll bat?

I'd have to say he'll be playing a lot because unless we force Crosby or Hannahan into 2B, we don't have any other realistic options.

I'm going to assume he takes the 9 spot that Ellis was in for a start, then we'll see whether Uncle Billy and co. want OBP or blistering speed at lead-off. If he stays hot it might not be very long, because Sweeney hasn't set the world on fire.

If you have a spare roster spot Patterson is definitely worth a shot.

[Dan Lambskin]

should i drop Bonifishio for him? WHIR

[AussieDodger]

should i drop Bonifishio for him? WHIR

Of course.
Where is your link?