Getting to know José Bautista through the scout’s viewpoint — The early days of the Blue Jays slugger

“The memories that stand out with José are all related to his power, both with his bat and his arm,” said Powell. “One particular instance was in Orlando. I was with the Pirates crosschecker and he just crushed a ball clear over the outfield wall for a no-doubt home run, sending it way over the powerlines, and onto a six-lane highway. That turned a lot of heads. Defensively, another play that stands out was they were playing Gulf Coast State College and a ball was hit out to José between the centre and right field gap. He caught the ball, spun, planted his foot and fired a laser to third base, beating the tagged-up runner from second base for the out. It wasn’t even close, he had that strong of an arm.”

Powell also shared an interesting tidbit about Bautista’s time on the mound as well, “José didn’t pitch in many game situations for Chipola and when he did, they were usually short outings. But during the semi-final in Lakeland, he went 10 innings for the club and was still throwing mid-90s with his fastball late in the game.”

Following the 2021 season, the Pirates used their 20th-round selection on the power bat/arm from the Dominican, drafting Bautista as a third baseman and eventually signing him to a bonus worth $500,000 USD. While he spent more time in the outfield during his time with Chipola, Powell and the Pirates organization were confident that he could perform well at third base with his plus arm and athleticism.

“During batting practice, he would come into the infield and always field groundballs,” said Powell. “We knew he had the arm to make the position work as well as potentially work in the outfield. With his loud bat, you couldn’t miss him. I once took the Pirates scouting director down to see him play at Chipola before the draft and after one at-bat where he crushed a ball off one of the building walls, my director said, ‘I’m good, I have seen enough.'”

Following the draft, Bautista continued to work his way through the Pirates system but was eventually selected in the 2003 Rule 5 Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, making his MLB debut with the club in the 2004 season. He would later join the Tampa Bay Rays as a waiver claim early in the year and Bautista would eventually spend the rest of the season split between the Rays, the Kansas City Royals, and a few minutes with the New York Mets (literally, he never played a single game with them) before eventually returning to Pittsburgh as part of a package deal for Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger.

Over the next few seasons, Bautista suited up in 377 games for Pittsburgh before he was traded to Toronto during the 2008 campaign, one of the most lopsided deals in franchise history.

Over the next ten years with the Jays, Bautista put forward a .253/.372/.506 slash line with 288 home runs, 766 RBIs, and a .878 OPS while manning third base and eventually right field, where he showed off his plus arm on numerous occasions.

Bautista retires with the Blue Jays

Later in his career, he spent time with the Mets, Braves, and Phillies, as well as a stint in the Olympics with the Dominican Republic (where he won a bronze medal). After flirting with a two-way player idea in 2020, Bautista eventually signed a one-day contract to retire with the Blue Jays during his Level of Excellence weekend last year, signalling an end to his playing days and one of the most fascinating careers in Blue Jays history.

“He is such an awesome guy,” added Powell. “I am incredibly happy for all the success he has earned through his playing career.”

Bautista finished his career with three Silver Slugger Awards, six All-Star appearances, and one of the most prolific bat-flips in history, which will live in Blue Jays’ history forever.