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.

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