Jose Bautista

[Guest Edgy DC]

Albert had a nice reign, but I think it's pretty confirmed now that his guy is the best hitter in baseball, isn't he?

What led me to that thought? Well, the Mets had 14 homers in May, and I wondered if Bautista had as many. Not quite -- he had 11. But last year's behemoth season followed by his first two months this season --- hitting 100 points higher --- and, well, I think we have a new king, if merely a placeholder.

It's funny, because he's got one of those big Benny Agbayani leg kicks, and those guys --- well, it's a gimmick that works to help big swingers get their timing down, but it doesn't work all the time, as extra moving parts tend to be easier for good pitchers to cross up.

Tend to be. Not with this guy, though.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Best hitter in baseball this year. (Last year was great and astonishing, but he wasn't doing CLOSE to what he's doing now.)

[Frayed Knot]

Currently sitting at .353/.505/.786 and on a pace for Sixty HRs

The first and last numbers in those 'slash' stats are stunning enough (a .433 IsoP) but that middle one is simply absurd for a guy who jumped up 30 points last season just to get to 130 below where he is now - and "only" 7 IWs plus 2 HBPs so far this season to pad that OBA. Last year he finished with 2 and 10 (IW & HBP)

[TransMonk]

I know so little about the AL that I had to google to see who he plays for.

So what turns a career (6 years 2004-2009) .238 hitter who averaged 10 HRs and 35 RBI into the next Albert Pujos?

[Met Hunter]

Theres a pretty funny video of Bautista on MLB Fan Cave

http://mlbfancave.mlb.com/fancave/video.jsp?content_id=15382241&topic_id=19224580&c_id=mlb#fbid=22_Fq0FCAXP

[metirish]

TransMonk wrote: I know so little about the AL that I had to google to see who he plays for. So what turns a career (6 years 2004-2009) .238 hitter who averaged 10 HRs and 35 RBI into the next Albert Pujos?

I know the name but couldn't pick him out of a lineup.

I'll still take Pujols.

[Guest Edgy DC]

TransMonk wrote: I know so little about the AL that I had to google to see who he plays for. So what turns a career (6 years 2004-2009) .238 hitter who averaged 10 HRs and 35 RBI into the next Albert Pujos?

I don't know about "the next Albert Pujols," because being the best over the last 12 months hardly guarantees a sustained decade of awesome, but my first guess would be copious amounts of phamaceuticals, but the Washington Post says it's a swing change.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: TransMonk wrote: I know so little about the AL that I had to google to see who he plays for. So what turns a career (6 years 2004-2009) .238 hitter who averaged 10 HRs and 35 RBI into the next Albert Pujos? I don't know about "the next Albert Pujols," because being the best over the last 12 months hardly guarnatees a sustained decade of awesome, but my first guess would be copious amounts of phamaceuticals, but the Washington Post says it's a swing change.

What's hilarious is that there is so much matchup data and history for him and I bet many teams are still using it for scouting reports when it's so clear he's a different guy.

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: TransMonk wrote: I know so little about the AL that I had to google to see who he plays for. So what turns a career (6 years 2004-2009) .238 hitter who averaged 10 HRs and 35 RBI into the next Albert Pujos? I don't know about "the next Albert Pujols," because being the best over the last 12 months hardly guarnatees a sustained decade of awesome, but my first guess would be copious amounts of phamaceuticals, but the Washington Post says it's a swing change.

good article , seems like a decent sort.

slugging a major-league-leading 20 homers (through Monday), but combining it with a .356 batting average, .502 on-base percentage and .791 slugging percentage. Those are Babe Ruth numbers, circa 1927. Barry Bonds numbers, circa 2003.

MLB should be celebrating this guy come the ASG.

[Frayed Knot]

I bet he's not in the top five among AL OFers when the first voting results come out.
He'll probably be trailing Carl Crawford.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: I bet he's not in the top five among AL OFers when the first voting results come out. He'll probably be trailing Carl Crawford.

He'll probably be trailing _Nick Swisher_

[batmagadanleadoff]

Wait a second here!!! So nobody's gonna say anything about that the Mets had Jose Bautista? And then traded him along with Ty Wigginton and Matt Peterson to the Pirates? For Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger? (On the same day that the Mets got Bautista from the Royals for Justin Huber)?

Nothing?

[MFS62]

Edgy has mentioned in another thread that the Mets acquired him for inclusion in the Benson trade, as the Pirates requested.

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

MFS62 wrote: Edgy has mentioned in another thread that the Mets acquired him for inclusion in the Benson trade, as the Pirates requested. Later

Yeah, I figured. It looked like a 3-way trade from the timing. I mean, no organization gives up on a player in less than an hour, right?

[Gwreck]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Wait a second here!!! So nobody's gonna say anything about that the Mets had Jose Bautista? And then traded him along with Ty Wigginton and Matt Peterson to the Pirates? For Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger? (On the same day that the Mets got Bautista from the Royals for Justin Huber)? Nothing?

This has been discussed several times recently in other threads. He was never really Mets property.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That wasn't me, but yeah, that trade will only look worse and worse on paper. But that's all he was --- a paper Met.

[seawolf17]

The Blue Jays should really trade him to the Yankees so he can get some exposure. They can have AJ Burnett back.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Frayed Knot wrote: I bet he's not in the top five among AL OFers when the first voting results come out. He'll probably be trailing Carl Crawford.

Sometimes the fans get it right-- leading AL vote-getter.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

JoseJoseJoseJose is 3rd in NL SS voting.

Get to work!

[metsmarathon]

jeez, jose's only the fourth best player in the majors this year so far (per fangraphs' WAR, tied with howie kendrick and curtis granderson at 2.9).

[Guest Edgy DC]

bb-r.com, on the other hand, hates his defense.