Advance Scouting Series: Jose Bautista

Player Name: Jose Bautista

Context: 4 Games; 7/17/2017 – 7/20/2017 (vs. Boston)

PA

AB

H

1^st P

K

BB

TB

Hard

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

TOTALS

21

18

2

2

7

2

4

3

.111

.190

.222

.413

Sample vs. Season:

Brutal series and season numbers are clearly better; except for a 20-game stretch in May, overall production has declined significantly; walking less and striking out more; weaker and less frequent contact.

Physical/Health:

Listed at 6-foot and 205 pounds; lean, muscular build; decent athlete for a 36-year-old although he has clearly lost a step or two; no reported injuries so far this season.

A plus hitter during his prime; currently an average hitter at best but still has a great eye and will often make opposing pitcher work; very willing to walk; positioned at the back of the box; appears to uses bat wiggle to help with timing; leg kick as he swings; leveraged swing; nearly half of this season’s hits have been fly balls; will pull the ball about half the time although using opposite field more this year compared to 2016; above-average bat speed but no longer elite; plate coverage has also declined; turns on middle-low inside pitches very well but struggles to cover outside part of the plate and get on top of high fastballs; higher swing and miss rate on breaking balls this season. – Grade: 45

Career .257 AVG and .369 OBP; nearly identical career splits; generally does not alter swing and approach against lefties; .161 AVG and .288 OBP this year (likely sample size bias – only 104 plate appearances so far).

Career .252 AVG and .365 OBP; .249 AVG and .357 OBP in 311 plate appearances this year; the two batted balls’ spray charts below show similar distributions when factoring in sample size differences.

Notable At-bats

Date

Description

7/18/17

Sixth inning vs. Brian Johnson (LHP); First pitch FB 88 high and outside (ball); second pitch CB 73 low and inside (ball); third pitch SL 79 low and inside (swing and miss); fourth pitch high FB 86; fifth pitch FB 87 left up over middle but hit foul and nearly caught by RF Mookie Betts; sixth pitch foul tip on high FB 88; final pitch swinging strike three on SL 80 low and outside; displayed good plate discipline early in at-bat but also his struggles against high fastballs (even below-average velocity in this case) and breaking balls, particularly the slider (average grade).

7/19/17

First inning vs. Drew Pomeranz (LHP); First pitch high and outside FB 91 (ball); second pitch inside FB 91 (ball); final pitch inside FB 92 that he turned on and drove to left field (but directly to Benintendi); looked very comfortable and clearly kept sitting inside fastball; mistake by Pomeranz.

Power is still plus but no longer elite; generates power from his pure strength, swing loft, and above-average bat speed; more effort required to drive the ball than in past seasons; pulls the vast majority of his home runs; hard contact rate has decreased significantly but will still make pitchers pay if they make mistakes. – Grade: 60

Career .492 SLG; nearly identical career splits; .261 SLG this year; again likely due to sample size bias.

Career .486 SLG; .449 SLG this year.

Notable At-bats

Date

Description

7/19/17

Fifth inning vs. Pomeranz; First pitch FB 92 low and inside (ball); second pitch called strike FB 91 inside; third pitch CB 80 low and inside (ball); fourth pitch CB 79 high and outside (ball); fifth pitch FB 95 inside pulled foul; sixth pitch outside FB 94 results in a sac fly to Betts; sitting fastball last two pitches; no home runs in this series yet encouraging to see him flash some opposite field power while covering the outside part of the plate; don’t expect these opposite field fly outs to become homers though.

Speed/ Baserunning and Fielding

Poor speed and acceleration; typically no threat to steal; not a very aggressive baserunner; still has a plus arm; routes are fine; limited range in right due to lack of speed and first step quickness; willing to sacrifice his body at times, such as a diving play to his left that robbed Sandy Leon of a base hit during the sixth inning of the 7/20 game. – Speed Grade: 30; Arm Grade: 60; Glove Grade: 40.

Father time has clearly caught up with him; bat speed and plate coverage have declined; still shows good plate discipline and can take advantage of mistakes; opposing pitchers should throw to the outer half of the plate; attack with a heavy dose of breaking balls and high fastballs; FB% is indeed a career low 48.5%; also known for being a fiery and moody player.

Recommendation to Acquire?

Bautista is more of a role player at this point but can still help a contending team down the stretch; a trade may bring out the best of him as he thrives when playing with a chip on his shoulder; brings valuable playoff experience and his personality is best suited on a winning team; will need periodic rest going forward; limited defensive range but arm is still a weapon; should split time in RF and at DH going forward; buyer’s market for rental position players, so it makes sense to pursue a trade for him if the asking price does not include significant prospects.