Jays probable leadoff man Jose Bautista is killing the Grapefruit League right now and he is crediting it to the plan that he implemented late last season. According to this article from Morgan Campbell, Bautista, who was struggling for much of last year, changed his approach to hitting around September first. He also thrived when given a full time playing spot.
We have all heard about the transformation of slugger Adam Lind when he was convinced by manager Cito Gaston to attack "his pitch" when at the plate and it seems to have worked out fine for Bautista as well.
At the age of 29, Bautista looks to have a great chance to establish himself the same way Marco Scutaro did last year. As you can see from the chart below, Bautista was outstanding in Spetember when this "plan" was being used. Click to enlarge.
Spetember numbers can sometimes be deceiving due to the sub-par pitching, though. It may not be the best idea to expect those type of numbers because you are likely to be disappointed, but if he is able to get more comfortable in the box (especially against righties) then he could become a viable right fielder for the 2010 Jays.
If Bautista can become consistent while Randy Ruiz continues to rake at every place he hits, the Blue Jays may be forced to send Travis Snider to AAA to begin the year.
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