MESA, Ariz. -- Challenges have always come in small doses for Corey Patterson. They are a way of life for Roosevelt Brown.

How Patterson reacts to his current one will have a dramatic bearing on the upwardly mobility of Brown, who has prepared himself to share center field at Wrigley Field with veteran Darren Lewis if Patterson can't seize the opportunity he's been given this spring.

	Corey Patterson can go get it with the best of them, but has been slow to produce offensively.

Unfortunately for Brown, the latest indications are the kid will be all right.

After slumping toward the middle of spring training, the gifted Patterson has become more receptive to instruction. Hitting coach Jeff Pentland moved him closer to the plate and opened his stance. He's been whacking the ball with authority since then. Now if he could only take a few more walks ...

Not since Shawon Dunston have the Cubs had a prospect they awaited more eagerly than Patterson. He's a 5-9 collection of muscles who prompted the Cubs to bypass J.D. Drew to select him with the third overall pick in the 1999 draft. Patterson is 22, but seemingly has been on the radar screen long enough to be 32 after being rushed through the Cubs' system.

He's twice failed to capitalize on big-league promotions, the first of which came shortly after his 21st birthday. While Patterson would be in his first full season as a pro had he followed through on a letter of intent to attend Georgia Tech, fans wonder how the guy with so much billing could have hit only .258 above Class A?

Patterson sometimes wonders, too. That's why he opened spring training by announcing that he was trying to forget everything anybody had ever taught him since he joined the Cubs, returning to the hitting style that worked so well at Harrison High in Kennesaw, Ga. When manager Don Baylor suggested he should bunt more to use his speed, he replied that he didn't plan to turn into Otis Nixon.

Baylor scratched his head. Pentland kept his distance. Patterson, after a quick start, went into an extended oh-for.

Baylor had opened camp by saying that Patterson would be the center fielder. On the afternoon of March 14, Baylor admitted he was having second thoughts. Brown, at age 26 the reigning Pacific Coast League batting champ, had hit himself into the picture.

"We're going to have to really be honest and see if Corey can get the hang of it in the next 17 or 18 days," Baylor said.

It might turn out this was the best slump of Patterson's young life. It brought him back to Pentland, whose suggestions have helped. Patterson pounded three homers last week and through Tuesday had raised his average to .304 with four homers and 15 RBI.

As much as his tools, Patterson's coaches have always praised his approach and mental toughness. That part of his game has never been more apparent than this spring. He greeted Baylor's reversal on being the Opening Day center fielder with only a determination to prove himself.

"I'm not hitting the panic button," Patterson said. "My main thing is being selectively aggressive, swinging at balls I can handle in the strike zone."

Center Fielders On The Spot

ESPN analysts tell us who's on the hot seat: Dave Campbell Carl Everett, Rangers. Two years ago, Everett was one of the best offensive players in baseball. His problems since have been well documented. Can Everett still be a productive player, not to mention a passable citizen? Tom Candiotti Ken Griffey Jr., Reds. Junior just needs to be himself and enjoy showcasing his wonderful talents. If he can have fun, then he will shine again. Rob Dibble Richard Hidalgo, Astros. With Moises Alou gone, the Astros really need Hidalgo to get back to his 2000 form (.314-44-122).

Patterson is not a patient hitter. He has never had more than 45 walks in a pro season, and has had only four walks in 77 plate appearances this spring. The reality is that getting on base has never been Patterson's game; his game is clearing the bases.

With Bill Mueller on the disabled list, Baylor has been experimenting with Patterson as his No. 2 hitter. He'd be better off hitting lower in the lineup.

While Patterson stole 117 bases in 118 attempts at Harrison High, he blasted 22 home runs in 123 at-bats as a senior. The day he was drafted, he was asked if they had either intentional walks or fences in Georgia. He didn't laugh.

"Yes, we have fences," said Patterson, whose father Don played defensive back for the Detroit Lions and New York Giants. "I've worked hard -- hitting, lifting weights, you name it. We did everything from point A to point B, and it just paid off."

Patterson's first pro season seems like ancient history, but consider what an auspicious debut it was. In 475 at-bats for the Class A Lansing Lugnuts, Patterson hit .320 with 72 extra-base hits, including 20 homers and a league-leading 17 triples. He usually hit third in the order.

Steve McFarland, who was Patterson's hitting coach that season, was working as a scout for the Florida Marlins when he first saw Patterson. He was leading his team of teenagers to a championship in the Connie Mack national championship.

"I knew right then and there I was seeing something special," McFarland said. "Some people questioned his size. But when I watched him hit the ball, I could see size wasn't a problem. He had such quickness in his bat. He was a little guy with a lot of power. He has the ability to be a No. 3 hitter in the big leagues."

By trying to turn Patterson into a contact hitter who uses his speed, the Cubs may be making the mistake of trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. You wonder what he would do if they just penciled him in for 450 at-bats as the No. 6 or 7 hitter, letting him patrol all that open space between Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa.

The guess here is .250 with 18 homers and 65 RBI. Those aren't All-Star numbers but they're an impressive starting point for a guy who is smart enough to know how to get better.

Given the run-production the Cubs should get from their 3-4-5 combo of Sosa, Fred McGriff and Alou, Patterson should be able to help them win by running down balls. He showed that potential in a recent exhibition game, taking extra bases away from Oakland's Carlos Pena with a diving catch on the warning track in left-center.

Brown doesn't make that play. He's always been a hitter first (this spring: .370-3-13 through Tuesday) but has worked hard in the last season to shed his reputation as a defensive liability. He played his share of center last year at Triple-A Iowa, making a good impression on manager Bruce Kimm.

"He worked his tail off and played a good outfield," Kimm told the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein. "The great outfielders have to be prepared and he goes about his business now like a professional."

Brown has moved between Iowa and Chicago the last three seasons, hitting .286 with eight homers and 46 at-bats in 117 major-league games. His career OPS of .810 is better than all but six regular center fielders had last year (the list: Jim Edmonds, .974; Bernie Williams, .917; Ken Griffey, Jr., .899; Mike Cameron, 833; Preston Wilson, .825, and Richard Hidalgo, .825).

The Cubs have never looked at him as more than a platoon left fielder or bat off the bench. But if he could be adequate defensively in center, and hit like he always has, he could turn center into a plus position.

Both Brown and Patterson are left-handed hitters, which is unfortunate for the late-blooming Brown. If he did stake a claim on center, he would be blocking a guy who Baseball America ranked as the game's No. 2 prospect before the 2000 season.

The safe thing to do is to give Patterson the job, counting as much on his fielding as his hitting, and make Brown the fourth outfielder. Lewis is available to play against left-handers, with Brown there as Plan B in case Patterson doesn't make his .208 career batting average climb.

One last thought on Patterson: His teams win.

Patterson's Harrison High team won the Georgia championship in 1999. He helped teams at Lansing, Double-A West Tenn and Iowa reach the playoffs as he climbed through the Cubs' system. Those teams had combined winning percentages of .561.

That's 91 wins over a 162-game season. It might not be enough to get the Cubs into the playoffs in the top-heavy NL Central, but it would sure make things interesting.

Five other center fielders to watch
1. Darin Erstad, Angels: With a painful divorce behind him, the guy who piled up those 240 hits in 2000 should make up many of the 97 points that his batting average dropped last season (.355 to .258). It's a big year for him, as he's eligible for free agency after the season, so he could be dealt at midseason if Anaheim is a non-factor. Nothing would make him happier than helping the Angels get into the playoffs.
2. Johnny Damon, Red Sox: April's the key for a guy who has been a chronic slow starter. He figures to hit behind Rickey Henderson when Grady Little plays Henderson as his DH or left fielder.
3. Milton Bradley, Indians: Cleveland figured it would have at least a strong defensive center fielder, but Bradley was a disappointment in the field this spring. He also failed to stake a clear claim to the leadoff spot. Alex Escobar's knee surgery leaves Charlie Manuel with no backup plan better than Brady Anderson.
4. Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Giants: He won't have to go far to be an upgrade over predecessors Calvin Murray and Marvin Benard. Love those wristbands.
5. Kenny Lofton, White Sox: Great spring has the Sox hyperventilating about a possible rebirth of the six-time All-Star. Long-time Clevelanders don't take the "new" Lofton seriously, but can decide for themselves during seven Sox-Indians games in April.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.