Jose Bautista: Fact or Fiction?

Jose Bautista. Is he for real, or is something going on here? It’s hard for me (or anyone, for that matter) to say. I hate to speculate about any performance enhancing drugs, as I hope that era of the game is behind us, although that’s probably wishful thinking. Guys have been on some form of PED for years now…whether as some kind of stimulant, steroids, or HGH…the list goes on, and history tells us guys will always look for an edge of some kind.

But one does have to wonder about guys like Bautista and the resurgent Bartolo Colon. I like to think Bautista is just a good story. Maybe it’s a combination of a guy working hard and being given a chance to play. The Blue Jays gave Bautista a chance in 2009, when he had 336 at bats and hit 13 homers with a .757 OPS. A nice season, sure, but certainly not indicative of what 2010 would bring. Bautista, as we all know, played a full season (161 games) and had a breakout year, putting up MVP type numbers with 54 homers, 124 RBI, and a .995 OPS. Nobody could have seen that production coming, especially out of a 30 year old hitter with no track record of success.

And his story keeps getting better. As we move through the 2011 season, Bautista has actually IMPROVED. He’s currently batting .372 with a .522 OBP (a number reminiscent of Barry Bonds). He’s got 16 homers through 34 games and boasts a 1.365 OPS. As of this writing, he has a combined 690 at bats from 2010 through May 18, 2011. Over that stretch, he’s smashed 70 home runs, meaning he knocks one over the fence every 9.8 at bats. This comes after he posted a total of 59 home runs in 1,638 at bats from 2006-2009 (a homer every 27.7 at bats).

Is it fair to speculate? I don’t know. But you know what? I don’t know if what he’s doing is “real” either. Maybe it is. Maybe he’s one of the great stories in the last decade of baseball, and we should celebrate his success. Blue Jays fans (and fans of the game in general) should just enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, (for Bautista and fans of the game) the dark shadow cast by players like Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, and Sosa, makes it impossible to not wonder.

It's not fair. Bautista shouldn't have to suffer any speculation, and fans shouldn't have to wonder. Personally, I'll root for him and stay angry at the legends who gave us reason to doubt, injecting a little cynicism into the game for the coming years, and maybe forever.