Bautista returns as a Met
Former Jays slugger heats up and anticipates warm welcome
Hola Jose.
Once and always Joey Bats, except now he bats against Toronto.
Assuming the outfielder/infielder is in the lineup when the hapless New York Mets — even hapless-ier than the Blue Jays — venture into the Rogers Centre on Tuesday evening.
First time back hereabouts as an ex-Jay for Bautista.
Doubtless the former max slugger, multiple all-star and strut-stuff-in-chief will be gathered to the crowd’s breast. Video tribute anticipated. Standing O, absolutely.
“I would think so,” manager John Gibbons was speculatin’ before the Jays took the field for their close-out encounter with the visiting Tigers on Monday afternoon, a 3-2 defeat in10 innings with the lid zippered shut yet again. “If Ryan Goins got one, Jose’s gonna get one.”
Ooh, Gibby’s been bringing the snark lately.
Bautista’s reception should be Goins’ to the power of 10. Things may have ended with a mewl — Bautista setting a franchise strikeout record in 2017, after signing a one-year, $18-million U.S. extension (both sides declined to exercise mutual options for 2018) — but for most of a decade in Toronto, the swarthy Dominican had roared. He put the swagger in Toronto’s drink. He bat-flipped the city over the moon. He had a bazooka arm in right field, until it shrank to a .22.
He was the face of the team and he commanded the clubhouse.
“He’s done a lot for me,” Gibbons reminisced. “He’s done a lot for this team.”
The bench boss had watched, from a distance, as free-agent Bautista failed to get a contract nibble in the off-season. Somewhat surprised by that, even granting that, at 37, Bautista had a lot of tree rings on him and had lost some of his ferocious bat speed.
“I thought he’d be perfect in the National League ’cause he could play some outfield, play some infield, he could pinch hit, whatever you needed him for. And you could rest him more, that kind of thing.”
Not that Gibbons cut the veteran any slack last year, Bautista leading the team with 157 games. “Yeah, it probably would have done him some good to rest him a little more. Blame me, man.”
Crummy year admittedly, hitting an anemic .203 albeit still with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs. Gibbons kept hoping for better, and continued to hope for better this season on behalf of his one-time stud. “His skills, if you keep him rested enough, I always felt he could do some more. Maybe not as an every- day guy …’’
Bautista was on the shelf, in the margins of baseball, scrambling for practice space at Tampa-area high schools, scrounging up pitchers to throw some BP, until signing a minor-league contract with Atlanta on April 18, courtesy of his adoring kindhearted old GM Alex Anthopoulos. Hard-hearted, however, after a rather miserable 12game stint with the Braves. Released. Buh-bye Bautista.
Yet within 48 hours he was given new life by the admittedly pathetic Mets, and has reclaimed at least a trace of his once-upon-a-time glory. This past Saturday, Bautista jacked his fifth homer of the season, 336th of his career, in a 5-2 loss to the Marlins.
His slash line as a Met, as of Monday, was a decent .250/ .418/.476 with 21 hits in 84 atbats,10 doubles and three home runs. Nothing wrong with his eye at the plate either — earning 24 walks, four of them as a pinch hitter (3-for-9).
He has, of late, been turning his mind to returning to the place he still calls one of his homes away from home. Asked by reporters if he anticipated a warm reception: “I don’t expect anything else from Canadian fans. They’re top-notch, a class act.
“We had a pretty good run there and I had a successful career in my years there. I did enjoy my time in Toronto greatly and it’s going to be great to be back.”
Just don’t push too hard, trying to extract soppy emotion.
“I’m trying not to think about it. I’m just going to let it come and enjoy it when it gets here.”