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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
i don't think he will match the numbers he is putting up this year, if i was the jays i would of traded himComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
That may have been easier said then done.
The Nats didn't move Adam Dunn because they could not get a package they liked. The Brewers pulled back Corey Hart off the trading block because they didn't feel they were offered enough and wound up signing him to a multi year extention. The Phillies were trying to move Jayson Werth before Shane Victorino went down. Jose Guillen is still a Royal.
Teams weren't offering much for bats and we know Anthapoulos was asking for the world for his relievers so who knows what he was asking for for Bautista.Comment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
The guy is at 52 homeruns. At this point, my eyebrow is definitely raised. The only people who've hit more homeruns in the last couple decades that HAVEN'T been implicated in roids are Ken Griffey and Ryan Howard. Both of those guys, showed MASSIVE power at an early age and both guys are naturally big guys. Additionally, both Griffey and Howard were well protected in their lineups by other power hitters so I think it's safe to say they saw better pitches. Bautista hasn't shown this much power in his WHOLE career (minors and pro), he's not a naturally big guy, he's not well protected AT ALL in that Jays lineup, and quite honestly, Toronto isn't exactly a bandbox like Citizens Bank. I'm not going to be fooled again. Guys don't all of a sudden develop 50 HR strokes around 29-30 years of age. Call me cynical, but where there's smoke there's fire, and when it comes to things like this in baseball, unfortunately you're guilty until proven innocent. I'd say he's either using something new out there in Toronto (which is known for shady *** doctors) or he's just beating the system and getting lucky. Either way, I'm fully expecting for the other shoe to drop eventually.Comment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
So I guess Davey Johnson was taking roids in '73 when he hit 43 HRs? (the previous year he hit 5 and the next year 15) I'm thinking this is more of a Davey Johnson case then a guy suddenly taking PEDs. I've watched a ton of Jays games and Bautista has changed his approach at the plate. He's being more aggressive, actively looking for the fastball and taking all or nothing swings. It isn't like he's hitting HRs on "excuse me" swings. Also Rogers Centre is not Coors but the park has been playing small for the last decade or so. Just take a look at the park factors for yourself.Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club
"Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. ParkerComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
I won't attribute it to steroids.
There is still possibility that he figured out something about his swing. The facts are in that his FB rate is higher than it has ever been in his career. That sort of thing never really changes for players unless they make drastic changes to their approach.
I remember seeing Bautista play before and I don't remember him playing like a power hitter. From the times he's played against the Yankees, his entire approach is power. He swings for the fences much more and is purposely elevating pitches.
His average hasn't really changed much and while I don't want to back up my argument with batting average, the point stands that it remains the same. If he were hitting .300 then we could possibly attribute the HR rate to making better contact. More balls in play, more chances for a home run. Simple math.
Then again, maybe that is what's going on. His K rate is improved and maybe he's better recognizing pitches to drive."It may well be that we spectators, who are not divinely gifted as athletes, are the only ones able to truly see, articulate and animate the experience of the gift we are denied. And that those who receive and act out the gift of athletic genius must, perforce, be blind and dumb about it -- and not because blindness and dumbness are the price of the gift, but because they are its essence." - David Foster Wallace
"You'll not find more penny-wise/pound-foolish behavior than in Major League Baseball." - Rob NeyerComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
To hammer home what you're saying Bautista has consistently said this year that he feels very comfortable in Toronto and that he attributes much of his success this year to the coaching of Dwayne Murphy and Cito Gaston. I'm tellin' you the PED argument for Bautista doesn't quite fit.Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club
"Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. ParkerComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
I'm still amazed he has not hit an opposite field homerun this year. That just tells me pitchers are either challenging him inside still or he's got the patience to wait for the mistake and he's capitalizing on it.Aaron
ModeratorComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
I think it is also telling of his approach. The guy is swinging for the fences. Naturally strong hitters like Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez* can drive an outside pitch over the fence. I realize you already know this, though.
I bet much like your'e saying, Bautista isn't going to swing at those pitches because he knows he doesn't possess the power to drive the pitches over the fence. So he waits for middle-in and swings as hard as he can.
He might be a good example of a player that swings at his pitch and his pitch only (or more of the time than others...possibly). That's a strong approach. No one even cares that he is basically hitting at the same rate. All they see are his power numbers and walks jumping up. I attribute both to better recognition of his pitch to hit.
*Realized after that it's hard to say he's a naturally strong hitter. There's a better word to use than naturally, though. My point is that even chemically enhanced hitters don't have the natural power to drive pitches the other way. Rodriguez has a steroids past, but not many players with a steroids past were able to hit the ball the other way the way he does.Last edited by CMH; 09-28-2010, 03:19 PM."It may well be that we spectators, who are not divinely gifted as athletes, are the only ones able to truly see, articulate and animate the experience of the gift we are denied. And that those who receive and act out the gift of athletic genius must, perforce, be blind and dumb about it -- and not because blindness and dumbness are the price of the gift, but because they are its essence." - David Foster Wallace
"You'll not find more penny-wise/pound-foolish behavior than in Major League Baseball." - Rob NeyerComment
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Re: Jose Bautista - Rake or Fake?
Not to open a can of worms, but that 1973 Braves team has actually been "linked" to 'roids. That year the team had 3 players hit 40+ home runs including the aforementioned Johnson. Tom House, a reliever and later pitching coach, was on the team and has admitted to doing and distributing 'roids during his time in the majors. There have always been suspicions that Johnson was on something that year."People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers HornsbyComment
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