Edgar Gonzalez is Adrian's big brother, not little - keep that in mind.

It’s a week for middle infielders, as we have one player that has been up for a month by the ocean, but really had not taken over as an everyday player until the last two weeks. How has he done since? Well enough that I feel silly for not having covered him sooner. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, we have a middle infield prospect trying to find his way out in the outfield – is it working out for him?

Eric Patterson, Second Base / Outfield, Chicago Cubs

Yes, he’s the little brother of that other Patterson that the Cubs spent years and years touting his five-tool abilities. Of course, keeping with family tradition, the Cubs have been pumping up little Eric’s five-tool skills.

They are a little more right here.

An eighth-round selection in the 2004 draft, Patterson began his career in 2005 in A-ball with Peoria, where he burst out in just about every category. In 110 games, over 432 at-bats, Patterson hit .333 with 13 home runs, 71 RBI, 90 runs, and 40 stolen bases in 51 attempts. That is not a bad way to kick things off at all.

He would make a brief cup of coffee in West Tennessee – excuse me, West Tenn, as they not only refuse to pin the team down to one city, but they refuse to even spell out the full state name. It was just nine games, with a Mendoza Line batting average, so he would return for the following year. Playing 121 games with the Diamond Jaxx this time around, Patterson would hit .263 with eight homers, 48 RBI, 66 runs, and 38 stolen bases (in 50 attempts) over 441 at-bats. Pleased with these numbers, Patterson would also get to pick up 17 games in 2006 with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

The 2007 season would open with Patterson returning to Triple-A, and he would spend the majority of the season there, making 128 appearances and picking up 516 at-bats. In his time in Iowa, Patterson would hit a solid .297 with 14 homers, 65 RBI, 94 runs, and in 33 stolen base attempts he would successfully swipe 24 of them. He did make his major league debut, but it was not much to write home about, with seven appearances and eight at-bats.

That brings us to this year, where the now-25-year-old Patterson opened up in Triple-A, and other than an extremely brief call-up earlier in the year had spent this season down there until this week. In that time, he had been outstanding, hitting .326 with five home runs, 26 RBI, 27 runs, and 10 stolen bases in 10 attempts. One weakness he did have was his impatience at the plate, with only 10 walks and 41 strikeouts in 181 at-bats.

Now in the majors again, Patterson has gone 2-for-8 over the last two days while playing in the outfield, an unfamiliar spot to him. Thanks to the injury to Alfonso Soriano, Patterson will continue to pick up at-bats in the outfield, and he should pick up both steals and the occasional homer. His high batting average in Triple-A this year does not fit what he has done previously, and the strikeout totals indicate that it would have been difficult for him to maintain that, so do not expect him to continue to hit over .300 like he had been for Iowa. What is more likely is a batting average in the .250-.260 range as he adjusts to major league pitching. He will get playing time, but is likely to be squeezed out when Soriano finally returns.

Edgar Gonzalez, Second Base, San Diego Padres

No, he is not Adrian Gonzalez’ little brother – he’s his big brother. Yes, I know he is making his major league debut this season. The reason for that is that he has played 369 games at A-Ball, 207 games at Double-A, and 259 games at Triple-A. He has been in the Rays’ organization, the Rangers (as a Rule 5 pick), the Nationals (as a Rule 5 pick), the Marlins, the Cardinals, and now the Padres.

That is not to say that he performed poorly at any of these stops, and he did actually post some nice seasons at Triple-A, where he has a career .321 batting average in 862 at-bats. However, there is much that he lacks too, as he has never been much of a run producer, as only twice in his career has he stolen more than 10 bases.

In other words, he is a 30-year-old journeyman that has put up a respectable batting average but little more throughout his career, and there is no reason to get too excited about him, regardless of what he is currently doing.

Last Week Revisited

Last week, we looked at another Padre, starting pitcher Josh Banks, and Brewers’ third baseman Russell Branyan. How have they done since?

Banks has made only one start, and it was a mixed bag, as he allowed only five hits and no walks while striking out four in five innings, but he also allowed three runs, as two of those hits left the yard. Banks will take his lumps, but we still like his chances.

As for Branyan, he has gone back to being his mediocre self, as he hit .235 in 17 at-bats over six games, with one home run and three RBI. He was hot once, and you probably missed it. It will not come back.

That wraps it for this week – see you in seven!