January 19: Patton Living The Off-Season Dream

Goldeyes outfielder Cory Patton has two passions.

“The one thing I’ve had a passion for almost as much as playing baseball is playing golf,” said Patton from his off-season home in Texas. “So I thought this year, since I like playing golf so much, why don’t I just work at a golf course in the off-season and play for free.

“So I got a job working at the Austin Country Club. It’s a great golf course, right on the Austin River and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m working at the clubhouse, but I’m working outdoors and it gives me plenty of time to play. Although, for the last week, I’ve picked up a volunteer job coaching baseball at a Division III college so that’s kind of cut into the golf a bit..”

While he hass spent most of the off-season just working and playing, Patton admitted it was hard to turn down an opportunity to coach baseball. Seems he ran into an old friend, former Major League pitcher Tommy Boggs, who is the head baseball coach at Concordia College, a NCAA Div. III school in Austin. Boggs asked Patton to coach the outfielders and hitters and he couldn’t say no. So for the past two weeks, he leaves work at five and heads over to the college field to coach.

“I just started to get into coaching and I love it,” said Patton, the 27-year-old outfielder that will probably play in right this season. “But it’s been a great off-season. I’ve just loved the golf – my handicap is about 10 right now – and next week, I’ll start going over to the Triple A Astros facility at Round Rock and start hitting again. It’s been a great off-season for me.”

Like most of the returning Goldeyes, Patton is excited about this year’s team. He’s kept in touch with a number of the players, and says everyone is anxious to get back to Winnipeg and get the 2010 season underway.

“At first, nobody knew who was coming back and we all kind of wondered what Rick was going to do,” said Patton, who signed just before Christmas. “Now that the nucleus of the ball club is under contract and committed to coming back, it’s getting exciting. Adding Aharon (Eggleston) in centre is a great addition. I know I played centre last year, but I’m most comfortable in right, although I’ve played every outfield position and it really doesn’t matter that much to me.

“But with Aharon in centre and Dee Brown in left, there aren’t many balls that are going to fall safely in that outfield.”

Patton is also ready to do a little more hitting than he did last year.

“It was an odd year for me,” he admitted. “I hit .239 last year, but I felt I hit the ball a lot better than that. And never have I had more walks than strikeouts, but I did last year (by a wide margin, too, 57-43). It’s hard to figure out (he had an on-base percentage of .362, second highest of his career despite hitting only .239). I also learned how to be a lead-off hitter. I loved coming up right at the start of the game. Just to know I was going to hit in the first inning of every game really helped me prepare.”