Cubs Players Project Update: 2003 Memories, From Corey Patterson To Alex Gonzalez

What is the Players Project? It's a community-driven, wiki-style project focusing on Cubs players of all stripes. It's open to all North Side Baseball users, and we've had contributions from current players, past players, and players who never even made the major leagues but played in the Cubs’ farm system. Create your favorite player today!

Welcome back to our Players Project updates, everyone! The database continues to be filled with notable Cubs players, and we're now nearing 50 total entries! This edition of the Players Project round up features three players who played instrumental roles on the 2003 squad that fell just short of winning the National League pennant.

We also ask that members of the community who are interested in the project join us in the forums to discuss what the future of it should look like!

Corey Patterson was a darling of prospect gurus around the turn of the millennium, but it was in 2003 that he fully broke out and earned the Cubs' starting center fielder job. In one of the most prolific Opening Day performance in baseball history, Patterson went 4-for-6 in the first game of that season. In total, he hit two home runs and accrued seven RBIs as the Cubs went on to blast the New York Mets by a final score of 15-2.

That was just the beginning of a breakout 2003 campaign for Patterson and the Cubs, as the outfielder slashed .298/.329/.511 with 13 home runs in 83 games before tearing his ACL in July. We all know how 2003 ended for the Cubs, but Patterson did return healthy in 2004, slashing .266/.320/.452 with 24 home runs and 32 steals, racking up 3.0 bWAR in his best individual season in a Cubs uniform.

Damian Miller is perhaps best known for his decision to cross the picket line in 1994 that cost him his membership to the MLBPA (hence why so many know him as "Roger Chamberlain"), but the backstop had a strong 11-year career that included in his lone season as the Cubs' starting backstop in 2003. He was one of the better defensive catchers in the game that season and drove in two crucial runs during the postseason. Miller was traded to Oakland after the season for Michael Barrett.

Alex Gonzalez had a weird career with the Cubs, despite only spending 331 games on the North Side. The shortstop, who hit 41 homers during his 2.5 seasons in Chicago, hit a preposterous five (!) walk-off home runs with the team. In fact, all of them came basically within the same calendar year, from May 6, 2002 through May 10, 2003. Those were the only walk-off home runs in his entire 13-year career.

Oh, and he may or may not have committed the error that led to the Marlins coming back in Game 6 and ultimately winning that '03 NLCS. Whoops.

Of course, other entries, like Tony Campana and Edwin Jackson, continue filling up our database. The Chicago Cubs Players Project is open to all North Side Baseball users. If you're a Cubs history buff or just want to dive into the background of your favorite player, come on board!

Are you interested in Cubs history? Then check out the Chicago Cubs Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Cubs uniform!