Could Jose Bautista be a future Hall of Famer?


The Royals in the early 2000's had multiple players that became stars after leaving the organization such as Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, Zack Greinke, and others. Jose Bautista could be one of those who finds himself in a team's hall of fame after leaving Kansas City. Although he was drafted in 2000 by Pittsburgh in the 20th round (599th) overall, Bautista certainly had one heck of a playing career. However, he would not shine until later in his career. While a member of the Royals, after being acquired from the Rays for cash, the outfielder wasn't a player that would open many eyes and rightfully so. The outfielder's time in a Royals uniform wasn't long lived. In fact, the power hitter only played in 13 games with 26 plate appearances and 25 at bats. 
Bautista certainly didn't get his nickname "Joey Bats" while he was in the Midwest. Bautista's stats with the Royals were very poor. The hitter posted an .200 batting average with a poor on base percentage of  .335, .240 slugging percentage and only a single run batted in. Although Bautista won't be remembered too much as a Royals player, only playing in thirteen games, Royals fans will always remember him, and Bautista will always remember Kansas City. In an interview with Jeff Zimmerman of Royals Review in 2012, Bautista talked about his memories playing at Kauffman Stadium whether that was in a Royals’ uniform or a Blue Jays’ uniform: " I make it back every season, so I can see the changes, especially to the stadium over the last few seasons. The team is really improving. There is quite a bit of buzz about them. The offense is really talented. The pitching is a bit behind." Although Bautista liked playing at Kauffman Stadium during his playing career, many Royals’ fans probably weren't big fans of the outfielder. Although the Royals went on to win the World Series in 2015 against the Mets, Jose Bautista gave the pitchers and the rest of the team fits as the team played Toronto in the ALCS. During the series against Kansas City, Bautista's bat was nothing but a pain in the neck for the Royals pitching staff. And then there was his annoying bat flip. During the series, the veteran outfielder posted a batting average of  .316 with 2 home runs and six runs batted in. The rest is history for Jose Bautista and his short Royals career after being traded to the Mets for utility player Justin Huber. Bautista's career didn't start taking off until he was 28. During that year, he hit 13 home runs and had 40 batted in. The following year he made his first of six all-star game appearances. Bautista certainly earned his nickname " Joey Bats" in 2010. The 2010 season was his best year at the plate. The outfielder hit an eye popping 54 home runs and 124 runs batted in. The following season, 2011 wasn't a bad one at all either. During his 2011 campaign, he hit 43 homers and 103 runs batted in, just 21 fewer than the season before. Following the 2010 and 2011 seasons, his bat and other skills began to decline. However, he was still a threat with the bat in his hand. Following the end of his career in 2018 with the Phillies, he signed a one day contract with Toronto on August 11, 2023 to retire as a member of the Blue Jays. That day, the former slugger was honored by the Blue Jays after signing the one day contract. According to ESPN: " Bautista, meanwhile, turned into one of the game's most feared sluggers while playing home games north of the border. The three-time Silver Slugger swatted 288 homers during 10 seasons with Toronto, including a major league-leading 54 in 2010 and 43 in 2011." Following the end of his great career, could Bautista be a hall of famer after being recognized as a member of the Blue Jays Level of Excellence. At the end of the day, Bautista might not be a baseball hall of famer, but he will be one of the great sluggers in his generation. Although Bautista only played in 13 games with the Royals, Kansas City fans will either remember him as a former Royal or a former foe during his playing career.

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Royals: Remembering a Murder Victim

Image
The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and...
Read more

Flashback Royals: The murder at the pool

Image
Self-defense is more important now than ever, and teams like the Royals are promoting it through various events. In 2008, the Royals held a self-defense class called T.A.K.E. to support The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation and honor Ali Kemp's life. Similarly, the Kelsey Smith Foundation, named after a girl abducted at a Target in Kansas in 2007, also focuses on teaching self-defense. The Royals later honored Kelsey Smith's memory as well. Ali Kemp's murder in 2002 had a profound impact on the Kansas City metro area. At 19, Ali was working as a lifeguard in Leawood, Kansas, during the summer. Her father believed it was a safe job: "It was a wonderful job, a neighborhood pool. And you would think the safest place in the world." However, her shift on that fateful day turned tragic. Around 3 p.m., Ali called a friend for company, but the friend missed the call. Shortly after, Laurel Vine, another friend, arrived at the pool and saw a man leaving. Thinking ...
Read more

Royals small connections to US Presidents

Image
The state of Kansas and the Kansas City metro have several connections to US Presidents, such as the 33rd President Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although both Kansas and Kansas City have connections to the late Presidents, none of Kansas City's professional baseball teams such as the Monarchs, Athletics, or the Royals had the chance to meet either of them. However, former Royals manager Ned Yost has been to the White House more than once. Yost has met five US Presidents during his time in baseball. The former manager's first interaction with a President was with 39th President Jimmy Carter while living just outside of Atlanta. Yost said the 39th President attended games regularly: "Jimmy used to come a lot to the Braves games, and you could walk down the tunnel going to the dugout when Jimmy was there because Secret Service guys were all outside his little room they had for him and I’d waltz right in there and go sit down,” Yost said. “Him and Rosa...
Read more