The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Experiment begins
Braves hope new third baseman Bautista, 37, can help them stay on top.
One of the more anticipated homestands in recent years got that much more intriguing when the Braves promoted Jose Bautista from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
Bautista, a 37-year-old slugger, started at third base and hit fifth in the lineup against the Giants. The Braves signed Bautista on April 18, reuniting him with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, with whom he worked in Toronto from 200815.
The Braves hope Bautista will supply more right-handed power in the middle of the order. The Atlanta Journal-Con-
stitution reported April 23 that Bautista would start upon his call-up.
“Happy to join this ballclub here,” Bautista said. “They’re doing a lot of great things, playing great baseball. I’m hoping to step in and contribute right away. … My body’s feeling good. It’s just a matter of making adjustments here. You have to make adjustments at every level regardless of where you’re playing. Hopefully I hit the ground running.”
Bautista played 12 games in the minors. He hit .256 with a homer and two doubles, but hit .400 (6-for-15) in his past four games, including a game-winning home run.
Eyes opened when the Braves declared Bautista a third baseman. He hadn’t regularly played the position since 2008 and has manned the hot corner 12 times in the past six seasons.
He made two errors at third in 30 opportunities, good for a .933 fielding percentage in nine minorleague games.
“Since I heard it was a possibility I might play there, I started taking ground balls a few months ago. All the reps have been nice to get in the minor leagues. I played there a few times in the last couple seasons, and obviously extensively in the past, so hopefully that’s an easy transition.”
Bautista supplanted Ryan Flaherty as the team’s regular third baseman. Flaherty led the National League with a .362 average April 23. The average has dropped to .310, with Flaherty hitting .207 in the past eight games.
The Braves will count on Bautista’s reliable power as he shoots for his ninth consecutive 20-plus home run season.
“It just makes us that much longer, it lengthens your lineup,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Don’t think people in that other dugout aren’t aware of this guy when he’s up there. I know we were when he was playing against us the last few years.”
The veteran attributed several factors for his decision to sign with the Braves. He turned down more money, reportedly from the Indians, to rejoin Anthopoulos.
Bautista reached out to Anthopoulos on April 13 to touch base. Negotiations took off from there.
“I’m acquainted with Alex,” he said. “I trust him and what he’s got going on here. … We’ve kept in touch the whole time. I was letting him know how I was feeling to make sure he understood how the transition was going. We just kept talking.”
Bautista hoped the Braves would be an option when Anthopoulos was hired in November. The parties had brief dialogue over the holidays, but nothing materialized. Bautista had offers throughout winter, but he didn’t like the situations.
Ultimately, in addition to his relationship with Anthopoulos, the Braves’ nucleus caught his attention.
“There are a bunch of great players here,” Bautista said. “You can tell the energy they bring every single day and the youth, the athleticism, that (allow them) to do special things. They didn’t need much added on, but I’m very thankful they’re giving me the opportunity so hopefully I get to contribute right away.”
The Braves are 19-11, sitting first place in the National League East. Bautista feels that will create a more relaxing atmosphere and ease his transition as he tries to rebound from an underwhelming 2017
season.
Bautista slashed .203/.308/.366 with 23 homers and 65 RBIs in 157 games.
“I know I had a bad season last year, but it’s about adjustments,” he said. “And my body’s ready to go. Now is just the time to perform and make the adjustments during the games.”
Despite Bautista’s polarizing reputation, Anthopoulos felt he would be a positive addition to the clubhouse. He credited Bautista as a leader in Toronto who helped groom several players, including Edwin Encarnacion.
Bautista isn’t coming in with a mentor mentality. He feels he can learn as much as he shows the rising stars in the clubhouse.
“I’m a teammate, so I can learn from them as much as they can learn from me,” he said. “By being around, you get to experience some things. We pick each other’s brains as teammates all the time. … It’s not like I’m here to teach them anything. I’m just looking to pull my weight and do my part as a teammate as well.”
Bautista closed the book on his Toronto tenure with a letter in The Players’ Tribune, thanking the city and its fans.
“It definitely feels weird wearing different colors,” he said. “I wrote that piece putting a close to my time in Toronto. Again, just looking to the future and excited to be a Brave.”
Anthopoulos will hope Bautista makes a deep lineup even more dangerous as the Braves try to continue their attempt at becoming baseball’s surprise team.
“It’s going to be a long summer, but hopefully a great one,” Bautista said. “Hopefully we can make it go by faster by winning a bunch of games and having a lot of fun.”