Meet Jose Bautista, He's Good

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, has been flying high since the 2011 Major League Baseball season began and it doesn't appear he'll be coming back to earth anytime soon.  Bautista's numbers through the first 32 games of the season are incredible, insane, inhuman!  Among the many categories he leads the league in are: runs, home runs, and batting average and through 32 games, he has 16 home runs.  That's a home run every other game!  At that rate, Bautista is on pace for 80 home runs!  A number that would shatter Barry Bonds single season mark of 73*.  Or a number that would obliterate the single season record held by someone that wasn't jacked up on steroids and walking around like the Incredible Hulk, Roger Maris' 61.  It's almost impossible for Bautista to keep hitting at this pace, but the numbers are fun to look at nonetheless.

Hitting home runs isn't new for Bautista, he lead all of baseball in 2010 with 54 long bombs.  However, last season, if Bautista wasn't hitting a home run, he was probably recording an out as he finished the year with an unimpressive .260 batting average.  In 2011, he is sporting an astonishing .368 average, best in the American League.  Hitting for power and average is what MVPs are made of.  Bautista finished 4th in MVP voting a year ago.  If he can sustain his current numbers he will be the unanimous choice this year.

Numbers like the ones Bautista is putting up are eye-popping.  Especially since he seemingly came out of nowhere last year, at age 29, and became a power hitter.  In the post-steroid era, such numbers also raise eyebrows.  Fair or unfair, that's the way it is today.  In his defense, Bautista's head does not resemble that of Mr. Potato Head, as did many of the great hitters in the late 90's, early 2000's.  Bautista actually has quite a slim frame.  MLB has a strict testing policy and with the exception of Manny Ramirez, most guys aren't dumb enough to test that system.

I believe Bautista is clean.  He is off to a historic start.  The sporting world should take notice and start watching.

*Steroid Era