In Praise of John Patterson

John Patterson has been one of those players whose career performance has catapulted the Nationals into first place in the National League East. Without Patterson, the Nats' pitching staff would not be nearly what it is, and it has been one of the best in baseball. Patterson has been a front-line starter this season, giving up only 71 hits, only six of which have been homers, in 82 2/3 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is an excellent 72-31, and he has gone into at least the 6th inning in 9 of his 14 starts. Patterson has been a very good pitcher, and, given that the Nats weren't counting on him to do much, he is a big reason why the team has been much better than anyone expected. And the Nationals have obtained all of this for only $322,500 this year. Let's hope he continues to perform at this level.