Why Did Jose Bautitsta Leave the Blue Jays

Sun is setting on Jose Bautista's tenure with Blue Jays: Griffin

There's little chance his mutual option at $17 million (U.S.) will be picked up at season's end.

This six-game homestand against the Royals that concludes Sunday against the Yankees likely will be the last time Blue Jays fans will have a chance to show appreciation for outfielder Jose Bautista in a home uniform.

That's because there's little chance his mutual option at $17 million (U.S.) will be picked up at season's end.

This year's numbers aren't even worth mentioning when it comes to evaluating the Joey Bats era in Toronto. Unless he discovers a Fountain of Youth in the off-season, it became clear in 2017 that his bat speed has diminished, his range in the outfield is shrinking and his foot speed is a step slower. He has to commit to pitches earlier and is thus chasing more out of the zone. He will look for one final contract after this season, but it will not be in Toronto.

However, it's not just the accumulation of his offensive numbers that fans, coaches and teammates will remember. He ranks top 5 in most of the club's major offensive categories. Rather, it's the accumulation of big-time franchise moments, led by the polarizing "bat-flip" home run in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers.

"That's got to be No. 1," Jays manager John Gibbons said, when asked to name his top moment, not just here with Toronto, but his entire career in baseball.

"The best thing about Jose, he's always done a lot for the organization and he's done a lot for me, personally. That I'll never forget. But the dramatics of that home run. We're a couple of innings away from possibly going home. And for baseball in Canada, they hadn't been there for 23 years. We got to the playoffs and now we keep moving along with that home run."

Once again, it's not the Bautista of 2017 we are remembering here. It's the Bautista who, with a 54-home run outburst in 2010, helped revive fan interest in an organization that had disappeared off the radar for fans that had been kids when the Jays won back-to-back World Series.

One such fan is Tyler Weech, a 32-year-old multi-sport fan who has coached highly competitive levels of baseball and football. He has a passion for sports and an appreciation for the characters and players that populate it as long as they show they care about winning.

Bautista will always be one of his favourites.

"Bautista sparked a new generation of Jay fans," Weech said.

"Bautista represents everything about the rise and rebirth of Canada's team. His on-field passion, his Bautista bombs, symbolized a new age of baseball fans, loud and proud. I look around and I see people wearing Blue Jay hats and jerseys across Canada and I feel connected to them, because just like me, I bet they can tell you exactly where they were when they watched the bat-flip."

It's not just the bat-flip that has been important and memorable in Bautista's career in Toronto. He hit two more bombs in the elimination game in Kansas that will be lost in the disappointment of a Royals' victory. In his years with the Jays, Bautista hit 20 home runs in the seventh inning or later that put his team ahead and 12 more from the seventh inning on that tied a game late.

"He's had an amazing career," Gibbons said. "He ought to be proud of himself, and it's an honour for me to get a chance to manage one of the better players in the game. I'll never forget it. Jose will go down in history as one of the best all-time players here."

Ranking Bautista becomes an interesting exercise, giving him an appropriate spot among position players in the 41-season history of the Blue Jays. It says here Bautista has earned the No. 3 ranking in the team's history.

First is Roberto Alomar because he is, after all, a hall of famer and for his five seasons with the Jays he was quite possibly the best player in the league. There should be no argument.

Second on our list is Carlos Delgado. The popular first baseman has similar credentials and qualifications as Bautista, in that they are both sluggers and had long and consistent careers in a Jays uniform. But Delgado in his 12 seasons had 336 homers and 1,058 RBIs with a .282 average and .949 OPS. Bautista entering the homestand had 287 homers, 767 RBIs, a .254 average and .882 OPS.

"This place is special to him," Gibbons said, on a night Bautista chose not to reflect on his own career. "This is where he made his name, came into his own. He got his first real opportunity here and became one of the better players in baseball. He was kind of a journeyman bouncing around, utility type guy.

"This is where it all came together for him. Jose is a very proud man, a perfectionist. He's driven to be the best. He always has."

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Source: https://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2017/09/19/sun-is-setting-on-jose-bautistas-tenure-with-blue-jays-griffin.html

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