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.

Canadian Beatdown

I had a bad feeling about this Toronto series.  The Royals Radio pregame show had a discussion about how Toronto was floundering, had a weak lineup, and no real pitching depth in the rotation.  When you're the Royals, that kind of talk gets a Canadian flag thrown over your head while members of the Blue Jays run by and beat you in the stomach with a bar of soap in their socks...Full Metal Jacket style.  And make no mistake about it - after all the years of futility, the Royals are the MLB version of Private Pyle. 

As soon as I heard Scott Podsednik would be out of the lineup, having traveled back to KC to handle a personal matter, I thought we might be in trouble.  He's been the real spark in this lineup, hitting in the two position between DeJesus and Butler.  Then the news came across the airwaves that catcher Jason Kendall would get his first day off - another spark towards the bottom of the order.  The two of them were replaced by Brayan Pena (who had one at bat prior to Monday night's game) and Mitch Maier.  Ouch. 

Not to mention we have another sinkhole in the lineup with Alex Gordon back from his injury.  I have lost all faith in Gordon, and the fact that he's batting .167 (yeah, I know, small sample size so far) and has already struck out twice hasn't changed my tune.

Bannister has his first rough outing to top it all off, and we get an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Blue Jays. 

Looking at various articles this morning, I'm left wondering why Trey Hillman would want to keep Pods out of the lineup again today.  According to an article I found at Yahoo Sports, Hillman says he doesn't like to play guys who are traveling.  Well...okay...but would you rather have Pods in the two hole batting .457, or have to shuffle the lineup and stick Maier back in the bottom of the lineup so he can try to improve on his .100 average?  I say go with the guy hitting .350 points higher...but what do I know?  Yeah...Pods may be a little tired, but I think I'd take my chances.  And if he looks a little sluggish, well, you can always pull him.  Oh wait.  No...your hands are tied there, aren't they Trey?  I almost forgot Dayton Moore has screwed this roster up so badly that you're short handed on the bench because you have to carry 13 pitchers....

Speaking of 13 pitchers - why is Luis Mendoza (22.50 ERA, 3.25 WHIP) still on this roster?  Time to make room for another position player guys.  There is absolutely no point in having this clown continue to to give up three or four hits per outing.  Give your manager the roster flexibility he needs, Dayton.  Recall Aviles, or bring up Kila...do anything but let Mendoza continue taking a roster spot away from a more deserving player.  I think we've all seen enough.