Toronto Blue Jays Tickets - The Unlikely Rise Of Jose Bautista

While everyone talks about Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton this season

, and for good reason, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista has been completely under the radar for much of the year. Well, after a scorching hot month of August, it's hard to overlook the rising slugger as he approaches 50 home runs in a league that no longer sees many hitters come even close. Though he may not be an MVP candidate due to the well-rounded seasons of Cabrera and Hamilton, Bautista is a chief reason the Blue Jays have been better than anticipated and he continues to make them an exciting team coming down the stretch.

For the first half of the 2010 season, most MLB fans were likely waiting for Bautista to start to cool off. After all, the Jays power hitter had never previously even got to 30 home runs in a season and he was hanging with the big-time stars that have put up big power numbers year in and year out. But as of Sept. 4, Bautista has not only held his ground but is leading the majors with 43 bombs to go along with 103 RBIs. Considering that the second highest home run total in the American League is 33, it seems that Bautista is far from a fluke.

What is even more impressive is that Bautista is doing this in a season in which pitchers have reclaimed their dominance after the power surge of the late '90s and early to mid-2000s. While sluggers consistently hit 40 and 50 homers during that period, only a couple of hitters even have a chance at reaching 40 this season, making Bautista's season even that much more special. We may even see a power hitter win the American League MVP without getting to 40 home runs, which would be all but unheard of a decade ago - a time when even second baseman Brett Boone managed to belt 40 balls out of pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.

While Albert Pujols largely faces middle-of-the-road pitchers in the dubious National League Central, Bautista is also putting up these types of power numbers in easily the toughest division in baseball. Instead of facing the Pirates and the Brewers over and over again during the course of the regular season, Bautista has had to face a consistent diet of Cy Young candidates in the arduous American League East.

Because of Bautista's consistent power numbers, he's also helped keep the Blue Jays well above .500 for the entire season while most anticipated them not making much noise this year. His approaching of George Bell's Blue Jay record of 47 homers will certainly help sell Toronto Blue Jays tickets as we move towards the conclusion of the season, which is always a bonus for a team that has been in fourth place in the division just about all season long. Though other teams in the division certainly have their reasons to look towards a promising future, the Blue Jays now have a centerpiece to build around in Bautista, which is the only way they'll be able to compete in the high stakes American League East.

But despite all his accolades for the season, Bautista won't win the MVP this year, though he should be able to secure a few votes. With a mediocre batting average of just .269, Bautista can't compete with the all-around hitters like Cabrera and Hamilton, who are both hitting for an absurdly high batting average for a power hitter.

Still, credit needs to be given to Bautista for keeping the Blue Jays churning all season long with an old-school power hitting approach. Though his average is a bit low, his on-base percentage (.388) and run production are very strong, and most analysts now understand that batting average is a bit of a misnomer when looking at how effective a player is in a lineup. It's easy to get overshadowed by other big names in the league and by the more prominent teams in the division, but Bautista is having the type of season that deserves recognition. And if analysts and fans won't give it to him, it seems that Bautista will continue to swat balls out of the ballpark until everyone is forced to pay attention.

by: Pat Smith

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