FIU THIRD BASEMAN JEREMY PATTON
Now batting, the General, Jeremy Patton. Check that. Still batting, the General, Jeremy Patton. The 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament MVP has picked up where he left off last season. After hitting .364 as a sophomore in 2010 and helping the Panthers to the Sun Belt title, Patton is batting .345 this season. The General's 46 RBI have surpassed his 2010 total when he drove in 45 runs. Patton (left, thanks Sam Lewis photo) is from St. Louis and like a former Cardinals shortstop and his favorite General, the Panthers third baseman can do flips. Patton had FIU's longest 2011 hitting streak earlier this season and when it ended he wondered how could anybody hit in 56 straight games? What's no wonder is that Patton is one of the most dangerous batters in the FIU lineup and that's after tearing his shoulder and giving up hitting from his natural right-handed side. Come on out to the FIU ballpark starting Thursday and watch the General and the No. 24 Panthers take on Florida Atlantic in a regular season-ending three-game series. Until then let's go Out of the Cage with Jeremy Patton.
PP: This team has really come together and gotten on a roll in the last month. Are there similarities between the 2011 Panthers and the 2010 FIU team?
JP: I see similarities between the roll this team is on this year and last year’s team. I think this year’s team is better than last year’s. We have a good chance to go a long way in the tournament this year. We’ve come together a lot sooner this year than we did last year.
PP: What do you think of The General nickname?
JP: It doesn’t bother me at all. If that’s what they want to call me it goes well. I know it comes from General Patton (right). If it works, it works.
PP: Are you a history buff and if so, who is your favorite General?
JP: I'm not really a history buff, but I’m familiar with General Patton. Growing up a lot of people asked me if was I kin to him. By the way, I am not kin to General Patton. My favorite General? I would have to go with the General Lee car (left) from the Dukes of Hazzard.
PP: After having played 2nd base last season, how have you taken to your new position 3rd base after 52 games this season?
JP: I think I have adjusted well. It’s a lot different from second base. Every ball that gets hit is hit a lot harder. The reaction time is the main difference between second and third base. I’m comfortable there. I’m not nervous and I think I have been playing well there. It definitely took some time to get used to it, but once you get comfortable it’s gotten easier.
PP: Any reason you wear No. 22?
JP: Actually, there is. It’s my second favorite number. My favorite number is 10, but Garrett Wittels wears No. 10. When I came in here they offered me No. 10 since I was older than Garrett but I said I’m not going to take Garrett’s number. I just took 22.
PP: I think we talked about this when you got here last year, but your stance is very similar to former major leaguer Brian Giles. Like Giles, your power stroke is to left center. Did you pattern your stance after Giles?
JP: Actually I didn’t. When I was growing up Chipper Jones (right) was my favorite player and I kind of based my stance off of him. It’s kind of evolved since then from the coaches I’ve had. Like Turtle, he adjusted my swing when I first got here. Turtle shortened up my stance, messed with my hands a little bit and adjusted my bat angle. Turtle is big on bat angles.
PP: Did you ever try switch-hitting like Chipper?
JP: I was a switch-hitter growing up but I got hurt playing basketball. I tore my left shoulder labrum. Every time I would hit right-handed the labrum would pop. Now that it’s healed I tried going back to hitting from the right side, but it’s different now that I’ve hit so many years from the left side only. I was a natural right-handed batter growing up.
PP: When did you start switch-hitting?
JP: At a young age. My stepfather was a big baseball guy and he wanted me to switch-hit. All through little league I was a switch-hitter. Then my freshman year of high school I tore my labrum and I ended up just hitting from the left side.
PP: How did you tear your labrum?
JP: I was going up for a layup and I got fouled. I went into the wall trying to brace myself and the shoulder just popped.
PP: Do you pop your shoulder back in like Mel Gibson's character did in the Lethal Weapon movies?
JP: [Laughs] Nah, I don’t do that. I don’t have a problem with it anymore. A year after the injury I would dive for ground balls and I would still hear it pop, but now it’s like it never happened.
PP: You had a 19-game hitting streak earlier this season which is the best on the team this year. Obviously, the bar has been set pretty high for hit streaks at FIU, but were you aware you had the hit streak?
JP: I was aware of it. I give a lot of credit to Garrett Wittels. How he went 56 games is unbelievable. It had to be hard for him and I know there is some luck in there. At 10 games I knew I had a hitting streak. I wasn’t thinking about it during the games, but when I lost the streak I said to myself, ‘How in the world did Garrett get 56 hits in 56 straight games?’ It is hard and I praise Garrett (right, thanks SL photo) for what he accomplished.
PP: Did any of your teammates kid you about your streak?
JP: Jose Behar and Mike Martinez would mess with me saying, “Uh-oh the hitting streak is still going.” It wasn’t anything that bothered me at the plate. The streak just didn’t go my way. By the way that was officially my name dropping Mike Martinez. A shout out to Mike Martinez.
PP: How did you learn how to do backflips? Did you ever work in a circus?
JP: As a kid I was kind of a daredevil. We had a trampoline and I did backflips on there. Then I started doing them on the ground. One of these days I’m going to get too old to do it, but hopefully that doesn’t come for a while.
* Thanks Sam Lewis backflip photos
PP: Now backflips are not exactly easy to do. Can anybody else on the team do them and what’s the key to doing a backflip?
JP: [Sophomore infielder] Jeremy Bajdaun can do them, but that’s it on our team. The key to a backflip is you have to be brave enough to try it. You have to have courage and if you land right you have to have the confidence to do it again.
PP: Being from St. Louis, I’m sure you saw former Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith do backflips. I know you used to do backflips before the team met down the left field foul line before games, but have you ever thought of doing a backflip on the field before the first pitch like Ozzie used to do?
JP: Ozzie Smith (left) was one of my favorite players. I loved watching the Wizard growing up because of his playing. I don’t want to steal the backflip from him before a game. That’s his thing. I will do mine before we get ready down the left field foul line. I don’t do it anymore because last year I saw [Los Angeles Angels first baseman] Kendry Morales break his leg just jumping on home plate after hitting a game-winning home run. Freak accidents happen and I’m at more of a risk of getting injured doing a backflip than jumping on home plate after a home run.
PP: I see a lot of beards around the team. What’s going on there?
JP: We all decided to grow beards and it kind of has stuck. As long as we’re winning we’ll keep growing it.
PP: Can you grow a full beard like San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson (far right)?
JP: Yeah, but it would take me a while to get there but I could do it.
PP: Which player on this year’s team has the facial hair to grow a beard like Brian Wilson?
JP: I would say Mike Martinez (near right, thanks SL photo). He can grow a beard from his face to his ankle. He is the hairiest human being at FIU.
