Cory Patton (minors02)

Preston Cory Patton

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 220 lb.
• School Seward County Community College, Texas A&M University
• High School Owasso High School
• Born June 18, 1982 in Houston, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Cory Patton played in the minor and independent leagues from 2005 to 2014. He was drafted twice, initially by the San Diego Padres in the 6th round of the 2003 amateur draft, one pick ahead of pitcher Ryan Braun and ahead of outfielder Matt Kemp. He was then taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th round of the 2004 amateur draft, a couple picks ahead of pitcher Adam Russell and ahead of infielder Ben Zobrist.

He remained in the Blue Jays system through 2008, peaking at High A, and was an All-Star each year. He had 20 home runs with 66 RBI his first year, 21 homers with 88 RBI his second, 10 home runs with 54 RBI his third and 13 home runs with 70 RBI in 2008. He also batted .305/.370/.484 in '08. That final season, he was already 26 years old and 3.1 years older than the average league player. He was a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star in 2005, a Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star in 2006, a Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star in 2007 an a FSL Post-Season All-Star in 2008.

He moved to the independent leagues in 2009. Perhaps his best campaign at that level was 2011, when he hit .335/.405/.641 with 25 home runs and 82 RBI in 76 games for the San Angelo Colts. A couple years later, he batted .305/.362/.499 with 11 homers and 71 RBI in 98 games for the Amarillo Sox. In his final campaign, 2014, he was signed by the Texas Rangers, who played him for two games with their Triple A franchise, the Round Rock Express. He collected 2 hits, including a home run off Nashville Sounds pitcher Dustin Molleken, in 6 at-bats.

Overall, Patton hit .279/.349/.465 with 1,001 hits, 130 home runs and 620 RBI in 964 games over 10 seasons.

Beginning in 2009, Patton began making appearances out of the bullpen, averaging about 15 per year with a high of 19 in 2012. With the Colts that year, he had a 1.83 ERA with 13 games finished. He was 5-4 with 6 saves and a 4.89 ERA in 88 appearances overall.