Comments on: Jose Bautista hits two more homers, up to 18 for season

By: professor59

professor59 — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:09:35 +0000

The official reason is the change in hitting coach, which resulted in the whole team swinging from the heels since he got there. Dwayne Murphy basically told them to be HR hitters, and for many of them, it worked. As a team, HRs went way up, strikeouts went up, BA went down, wins were not affected.
Take it or leave it, but that’s what the Jays say. I don’t have a vested interest, so I don’t care. I mean, until Jose fails a drug test.

By: purdueman

purdueman — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:31:15 +0000

mariner… please enlighten us all, Being the intellectual that you fancy yourself, just where exactly did you get your degree? Out of a box of corn flakes? or did you follow the latest fad of buying an internet university degree (like UoP), where there’s absolutely no way to prove if you ever did any of the work?

By: purdueman

purdueman — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:27:41 +0000

George, someone die and you got elected Pope? If anyone is making us Sox fans look like idiots, it’s you when you make inane posts like this. If you don’t like it, please, find another forum… there are hundreds of them out there. Just have someone show you how to use Google and then have a nice day else where. Please!

By: purdueman

purdueman — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:23:47 +0000

aceshigh… NO, not “everyone on the Blue Jays would be jacking home runs left and right”, you numbnuts. How many of Barroid Bonds’ San Francisco teammates have been implicated in the roids scandal? Using your logic, all of them?

As for his teammates knowing anything about his private activities? Are you freaking kidding me? Do you think that he’s be that dumb knowing the enormous public backlash that’s happened to cheats Palmeiro, Sosa, Bonds and Clemens?

I’m not saying that he’s using something currently undetectable (like HGH); I’m just saying that statistically speaking it’s a huge red flag based on the rest of his MLB career that has already spanned several years.

By: qcubed3

qcubed3 — Sun, 22 May 2011 06:39:24 +0000

What I don’t find suspicious are two things: the skepticism and Jose Bautista’s power surge.

J.B. spent five out of six months in 2009 tweaking his swing, until September of ’09, where he hit a ton of HRs. Then, he continued that in ’10, spring training of ’11, and then the regular season through now. So, somehow, J.B., figured out how to hit like nobody’s business all of sudden in ’09, and, then, he’s juiced. . .

So, if he’s juicing, why isn’t any bigger (See Barry Bonds . . . )? So, if he’s juicing, why is he taking far more unintentional walks? So, what you say? Sew Buttons!@!@!@! How can someone get so good out of nowhere? Lots of hard work and a great deal of patience from management . . . or PEDs? I’m going with the former.

By: cur68

cur68 — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:59:06 +0000

@IDroidX faulty stats fails

By: jstrizzle

jstrizzle — Sun, 22 May 2011 01:52:52 +0000

I was being extremely sarcastic. I was pointing at your logic that had nothing to back it up besides stats listed.

By: iDroidX

iDroidX — Sun, 22 May 2011 01:23:20 +0000

@jstrizzle faulty logic fails

By: marinersnate

marinersnate — Sun, 22 May 2011 01:12:51 +0000

I believe he was referring to the intellectual from the Big Ten conference.

By: oikosjeremy

oikosjeremy — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:56:18 +0000

Babe Ruth’s seasons of 29 and then 60 HR were way more unprecedented. Which just shows that all the cigars the Babe was smoking contained PEDs.

By: cur68

cur68 — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:31:58 +0000

Compare those homers to at bats then you could see this coming (you do it; you went to all the trouble to throw that up there without even looking at his plate appearances. Hell my dog hit 0 homers in 2004, 2005, too. His PA’s? 0. Guess he’s not juicing). There’s another unprecedented MLB stat bout him. He was bounced between 5 teams his rookie year (2004): an MLB record. He’s also fielded every position except catcher, pitcher and shortstop over the course of his career.

It’s impossible to compare him to Pujols because Albert has only ever played for one team, was extensively coached to be a power hitter and always knew what position he’d field (3rd or 1st). Once JB was treated like Albert he began to hit like Albert.

Only better.

By: jstrizzle

jstrizzle — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:36:57 +0000

IDroidX’s logic is full proof because he put up stats. Also, from now on I am gonna assume anyone that has a down year is simply coming off of steroids. Even if they are injured for half a year and didn’t play full time like bautista didn’t until 2010.

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:23:27 +0000

If you are referring to me…I am not a Sox fan at all.

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:22:12 +0000

Granderson plays where pop ups turn into home runs….So, no not surprised.

By: George

George — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:21:11 +0000

Dude, as a fellow Sox fan, I am really getting sick of you making us all look like idiots.

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:15:04 +0000

Now if you really want to see some thumbs down action, why don’t you spout off about Curtis Granderson? Aren’t you also suspicious about his power surge this year? Do you buy the theory that his new batting stance is responsible? Do you somehow suspect that his skinny frame has been taken over by an alien form? Is Kryptonite involved?

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:02:48 +0000

He changed his batting stance and got the opportunity to play full time. Of the 13 home runs in 2009, 10 came in September after he started playing full time.

By: iDroidX

iDroidX — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:43:11 +0000

Jose Bautista’s career HR years:
2004:0
2005:0
2006:16
2007:15
2008:15
2009:13
2010: 54
2011: 18
.
Yeah, all he did was change his batting stance.

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:31:25 +0000

And Lance Armstrong has passed over 500 drug tests, yet there are several eye witness accounts of him using PED’s. However, for the thousandth time, I don’t think that he is using steroids. I just find it odd and fairly incredible that a swing change can lead to that big of a power increase that late in a career. Even if he averaged 20 HR per 162 games, as a previous poster stated, it is still a 250% increase over the course of a single off season. Also, he is a dead pull power hitter, which to me makes it even more amazing. I could care less if you guys are tired of hearing about suspicion regarding him, the fact that his progression is so remarkably skewed makes it a topic worth discussing. It is unlike anything in baseball history.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:20:20 +0000

It’s been pretty well documented that Bautista changed his swing/stance when he got to TO which helped him become what he is now. I read an article recently how the Pirates asked him to make similar batting stance changes and he refused, but did it when he was in TO. He’s always been known as a guy with good bat speed, a strong eye, and good power, he just wasn’t taking advantage of it before hand.

By the way, Between 2006-2009, Bautista averaged 20 HR’s and 69 walks per 162 games. Thing is, he only averaged around 120 or so games and 450 or so AB over that time. So he was a decent power hitter with a good eye, it’s just he wasn’t this good.

But it just sounds like you’re calling him out for steroids, which is an entirely different matter. I’m sure every random test has his name on it, and seeing as he hasn’t been found using any steroids or PED’s I’d say it’s legit. A remarkable improvement, yes, but legitimate.

By: jstrizzle

jstrizzle — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:15:27 +0000

http://minnesporta.wordpress.com/

By: Patrick McCaw

Patrick McCaw — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:10:59 +0000

That, and we’re tired of the same comments after every mention of Bautista. Seriously, people have been saying this for over a year now.

And if you’re not suggesting that he’s using PEDs, what are you doing? Accusing the league of juicing the balls he’s pitched? Implying that the pitchers are being bribed to throw him BP fastballs?

By: aceshigh11

aceshigh11 — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:36:57 +0000

When you use the term “suspicious” with respect to elevated offensive numbers, everyone here naturally took it as you implying PED usage.

There were several stories last year about Bautista’s altered batting stance and swing being the reason for his surge…here’s one:

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/08/24/altered-swing-mechanics-key-to-jose-bautistas-home-run-binge/

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:28:32 +0000

All I am saying is that it is odd and suspicious for somebody to have that type of career progression. That is indisputable. I never once said steroids to be the cause. In fact given the testing, that seems unlikely. But there has to be another reason, outside being locked in. I’m just curious as to what that would be. Confidence? Better hitting coaches? Different training regime? Swing? Some combination of the above?

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:23:18 +0000

Yeah but Maris was younger when he did that. Also, I believe he hit around 40 the previous season and like 30 when he was in his early twenties. I mean I am talking about an over 300% increase for Bautista, compared to a 66% increase for Maris.

By: aceshigh11

aceshigh11 — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:16:56 +0000

It IS unusual, but not completely unprecedented.

Look at Roger Maris…he never had a season even remotely close to 1961 before or after.

Hell, Maris hit 22.2% of his CAREER home runs (275) in ONE season.

By: aceshigh11

aceshigh11 — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:12:46 +0000

I just don’t buy it…then wouldn’t it follow that everyone on the Blue Jays would be jacking home runs left and right?

If Bautista found the “holy grail” of PEDs, then surely he’d whisper about it to his teammates, especially with them being stuck in second-to-last place in the AL East year after year.

Steroids and/or HGH simply will not make one a better hitter, and Bautista isn’t just hitting home runs…he leading the majors in batting average. Face it: the guy is simply locked in.

Until there’s proof or serious reason to be suspicious, I’m just going to enjoy a genuinely cool success story.

By: purdueman

purdueman — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:36:25 +0000

Bautista is so statistically skewed from EVERYONE else in MLB in terms of home runs that this just seems as fishy as Barroid Bonds head back in the day suddenly swelling up the the size of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Float!

We’ve all heard about how easy it (supposedly), is to get prescription drugs via the internet from Canadian pharmacies without having to see a physician. Hmmmm…..

By: drmonkeyarmy

drmonkeyarmy — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:35:24 +0000

I don’t think he is on steroids…I’m sure he is being tested and the process seems to work. Just something doesn’t seem right to me. Sorry for finding it odd that a guy who had gotten significant at bats in his career suddenly at 29 goes from a career high of 16 to 54 homeruns now seems like he may eclipse that this year. It’s a perfectly reasonable career progression I guess.

By: iamnotacoolguy

iamnotacoolguy — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:29:33 +0000

The old I am not accusing anybody, but really I am thing is getting old. If you are going to accuse someone of using steroids at least have the balls to come out and say it.