Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista is not what most people would consider a slugger, certainly not most fans of his former team the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yet he has emerged with a league-leading 42 home runs so far in 2008, after working on his swing last year with Toronto hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy.

This unexpected power has led to allegations that Bautista has done what Roger Clemens, or possibly even A-Rod has done in using controlled substances. Despite the improbability of his breakout, I don't believe these charges.

The article recently by Damien Cox on the "questionable" hitting success of Jose Bautista this season enraged me intensely. I generally like Damien Cox's articles, but this article was written purely to generate talking points for the FAN590. It was such a terribly written piece that the writer needs to be taken to task.

Before the 2010 season began, there were only 300 times in Major League history where someone hit 40 or more home runs in a single season. Only 150 of those occurrences were accomplished by players who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame; it only counts as 114 if you don’t include the times when Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Jose Canseco reached that mark numerous times, and roughly 100 if you exclude everyone who has been linked with steroids.

Sometimes Jose Bautista drives in runs by hitting home runs. (He has 95 RBIs, third in the American League, going into today's games, and is tops in four-baggers.) At other times, he drives in runs--well, by running.

That was the case last night, in the bottom of the fourth, with two out and two on to Bautista against the New York Yankees. By capturing first base, he had loaded the bases for Vernon Wells, described by the Yankees' commentator as "dangerous."

I won't link you to the article which is the basis for this article, but I will give you a brief summary:

After losing the first game 3-2, the New York Yankees need to win Tuesday night against the Blue Jays at Rogers Center.

The Tampa Bay Rays have caught up to tie in the standings, and the Boston Red Sox are still very much alive.

Translation...inter-division games can kill a team’s chances for playoff berth, so the Yankees cannot lose this series for starters.

What's a home run leader gotta do to get noticed around here?

Seriously.  Who is this guy?  And why are we not making a bigger deal out of this?

Bautista, the journeyman of six different MLB franchises, currently leads the majors leagues in home runs with 38 with less than 40 games remaining.

To put that in perspective, MVP front runner Miguel Cabrera, who has single-handedly kept the Tigers in playoff contention, has 31. 

Albert Pujols has 32.

In the mile-high city, there is an outfielder having the best baseball season you haven't heard about. 

His name is Carlos Gonzalez, and he has been a menace to National League pitching this season.

Carlos Gonzalez, 24, is a tall, lean lefty with a sweet swing. 

Originally from Venezuela, Gonzalez is in his second full year with the Colorado Rockies.  He came to the Rockies in the Winter of 2008 when the Rockies dealt Matt Holliday to the Oakland A's. 

There is no doubt that the Jays' Jose Bautista is having a terrific season in Toronto. Likewise, the Jays seem willing to part with the right fielder.

But just how much should a club be willing to part with for a guy who suddenly comes out of nowhere to post astronomical numbers that are extremely out of line with his career norms?

Look, in the steroid era, we would be very suspicious of a guy like Bautista, who has already hit 30 homers this season after never having hit more than 16 in a season previously.