Chicago Cubs Patterson was selected by the
Chicago Cubs as the third overall pick in the
1998 Major League Baseball draft. He signed a five-year, $3.7 million contract that was the largest draft contract in history. After the 1999 season, he played in the
Arizona Fall League and was that league's youngest player. He batted .368 with 4 home runs, 24 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 35 games, and was named to the league's all-star team. In 2000, Patterson was promoted to the Double-A
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx of the
Southern League. He was named to the league's mid-season and postseason all-star team, and was named the league's top prospect by
Baseball America. Patterson batted .268 with 22 home runs and 82 RBI, finishing second in the league in home runs. Patterson played 157 games in 2004, with a .266 batting average, 24 home runs, and 72 RBI in 631 at-bats. His
on-base plus slugging of .771, while below the major league average, was his best of the eight MLB seasons in which he played more than 83 games. On July 7, 2005, Patterson was sent down to the Triple-A
Iowa Cubs. The demotion came after the Cubs had lost a season-high eight games in a row. He had lost the starting center field role to
Jerry Hairston Jr. Patterson was back up with the major league team on August 9, after his one-month stint in Triple-A.
Baltimore Orioles Patterson was traded by the Cubs to the Orioles on January 9, 2006, for minor league players
Nate Spears and Carlos Perez. In his first of two years with the
Orioles, he batted .276 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI. He also stole 45 bases, which ranked third in the
American League. Patterson's contract was not renewed after the 2007 season.
Cincinnati Reds On March 3, 2008, the
Cincinnati Reds signed Patterson to a minor league contract. At the end of Spring training, he was added to the
40-man roster. Baker often voiced his opinion on Patterson saying he thought Patterson is still a developing player. Patterson was invited to the Reds' spring training camp, and he started the 2008 season in center field for Cincinnati. Platooning with utility man
Ryan Freel, Patterson began the season well. Gradually his average deteriorated, culminating in an 0-for-8 performance during Cincinnati's 18-inning loss to San Diego on May 25. The following day top outfield prospect Jay Bruce was called up from the Triple-A
Louisville Bats to start in center field, demoting Patterson to the Reds' bench. On May 28, Patterson accepted a reassignment to Triple-A Louisville. The demotion lasted only one week, however, when Patterson was recalled to replace Freel, who went to the disabled list with a strained right hamstring on June 4. Due to
Josh Willingham being placed on the
bereavement list, Patterson had his contract purchased from the Triple-A
Syracuse Chiefs on June 13, 2009. He hit .302, with six home runs and 23 RBIs in a 39 games with the Chiefs, but hit only .133 with 2 stolen bases in 5 games for the Nationals. He was reassigned to Triple-A on June 20.
Milwaukee Brewers Patterson signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers on August 1, 2009. Patterson hit well with the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds, batting .331 with a .963 OPS over 29 games and 124 at-bats. However, he struggled with the parent club, where his BA, OBP, and SLG were all .071 over 11 games and 14 at-bats.
Seattle Mariners Patterson signed a minor league contract with the
Seattle Mariners on December 9, 2009. However, he opted out of his contract on March 31, 2010, after being informed he had not made the major league team.
Baltimore Orioles (second stint) On April 21, 2010, Corey agreed to re-join the Orioles on a 1-year minor league deal. He was promoted to the Orioles on May 12. On July 9, Patterson hit his first career grand slam against the Texas Rangers. It was a remarkable feat as Patterson faced the season's eventual saves leader and rookie of the year, the hard-throwing
Neftalí Feliz, with a 2–2 count and two outs in the top of the 9th inning representing the tying run. Patterson drilled his pitch over the right field fence to tie the game at 6.
Toronto Blue Jays On December 21, 2010, Patterson signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the
Toronto Blue Jays. He began the season on the Major League roster, but on the disabled list because of a head injury. Patterson made his regular season debut as a Blue Jay on April 11, 2011, against the
Seattle Mariners, hitting a home run and finishing the night 2-for-4 with 2
RBI St. Louis Cardinals On July 27, 2011, Patterson was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals with
Octavio Dotel,
Marc Rzepczynski, and
Edwin Jackson for
Colby Rasmus,
P. J. Walters,
Trever Miller and
Brian Tallet. In his final major league action, Patterson batted .157 with 4 doubles in 44 games for St. Louis to close out the 2011 season.
Seattle Mariners (second stint) Patterson signed a minor league contract with the
Seattle Mariners on April 30, 2013, but was released on June 6, after hitting only .175 in 19 games for the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers.
New York Yankees Patterson signed a minor league deal with the
New York Yankees on June 21, 2013. He elected free agency on November 4. == Post-playing career and personal life ==