Tuesday July 3, 2012

John Burns:  Jose Bautista has returned to his power hitting ways this season, with a MLB leading 27 homers.

The slugger did start the 2012 campaign very slowly. In his first 25 games this season, Bautista was hitting just .180 with four homers, 12 RBIs and a .659 OPS. Albert Pujols struggles got most of the media’s attention, but Bautista who led all of baseball in the previous season with 43 homers was struggling himself.

Many people believed that the bad start to the season meant that Bautista was starting to become a declining player. That was until June rolled along, when Bautista batted .271 (26-for-96) with four doubles, 14 home runs, 30 RBIs, 22 walks and 24 runs scored in 27 games. With those numbers he was named the American League Player of the Month for June.

Bautista is hitting .243 this year with a major league leading 27 home runs and 64 RBIs. Since 2010 the Toronto slugger has been one of the most dominant hitters in the game; but it hasn’t always been like that for “Joey Bats”. During the 2004 season, he was on five different MLB rosters which made him the first and only player to be on five different Major League rosters in one season. Bautista literally changed his career around going from a utility player to having hit 124 home runs in 2 ½ seasons.

“Joey Bats” is still considered by many including myself to be one of the best players in the MLB. Like I stated earlier Bautista is hitting only .243 but with him having a great June it should carry into the second half of the season. In 2010 when Bautista finished the season with 54 homers before the all-star break his numbers were:  .237 averages, 24 homers and 56 RBIs with a .543 slugging percentage.  Those numbers are very similar to his numbers right now before the all-star break. I’m not saying Bautista is going to hit 54 homers again but it is worth pointing out how similar those numbers are.

Jose Bautista still remains as one of the most feared hitters in baseball even if his average isn’t their right now. The stat sheet for Bautista at the end of 2012 could look like this: .270, 45 homers and 115 RBIs, 112 walks and an OBP of anywhere between .370 to .400. His slugging percentage should be over .585 as well. The bottom line is that Bautista is a top-5 hitter in the League so he will produce and could very well lead his Blue Jays to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. At the very least, we will see Jose Bautista featured in the upcoming Home Run Derby next week and starting for the AL in the All-Star Game. If you haven’t witnessed Bautista’s greatness yet this season, stay glued to your television during the All-Star break. On one of baseball’s biggest stages, Jose Bautista will get a chance to shine during the Mid-Season Classic.

***John Burns- MLB reports Intern:  I am a highschool junior, play 1st base and catcher. I am a diehard Phillies fan. I  was born in Philadelphia but now live in Virginia. I come from a huge baseball family and just love the game. My cousin was drafted by the New York Mets in the 2008 MLB draft. My favorite players are Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, and Ryan Howard. I tweet all the time and you can follow me on twitter (@JohnBurns_MLB)***

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