JOSE BAUTISTA
10/19/80; '00 20th; Chipola (FL) JC
R/R; 6-0, 190
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 2001 A- |
.286 |
.364 |
.427 |
220 |
10 |
3 |
5 |
21 |
41 |
8 |
1 |
| 2002 A |
.301 |
.402 |
.470 |
438 |
26 |
3 |
14 |
67 |
104 |
3 |
2 |
| 2003 A+ |
.242 |
.359 |
.424 |
165 |
14 |
2 |
4 |
27 |
48 |
1 |
5 |
| 2003 R |
.348 |
.429 |
.522 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 AL (Balt) |
.273 |
.333 |
.273 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 AL (TB) |
.167 |
.333 |
.167 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
| 2004 AL (KC) |
.200 |
.231 |
.240 |
25 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 NL |
.200 |
.238 |
.250 |
40 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
Bautista went through a strange odyssey in 2004. When the Pirates left him off
the 40-man roster in fall 2003, the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft. He
made their ballclub due in part to injuries to veteran IFs, but when some of them
returned the team put Bautista on waivers. Tampa Bay claimed him, but the Devil
Rays soon lost interest as their team improved and they started focusing on winning.
This time Kansas City claimed him. He was then included in the Kris Benson trade,
with the Royals getting a prospect from the Mets. Bautista was a draft-and-follow
who had a breakout year in 2001, in which he was named Florida's JC player of the
year. This prompted the Pirates to shell out early-round money to sign him. He
had an excellent 2002 season for Hickory, significantly increasing his power. He's
an extremely streaky hitter with a huge platoon split, but he improved steadily
throughout the year. He also drew more walks, but his K rate increased as well.
A broken hand ended up costing him most of the 2003 season. When he wasn't hurt,
he showed largely the same tendencies as the previous year, with an extremely fast
start followed by a bad slump. Bautista is a good defender with a strong arm, but
can be erratic. He has only average speed. He has played some in the OF, including
CF, both in winter ball and during his time in the majors. In fact, the Pirates
played him exclusively in the OF in his infrequent appearances the last two months,
including one start in CF. He had several misadventures in the OF, possibly just
indicative of inexperience. He could ultimately become a UT player, as it's
questionable whether he has the ceiling to be a major league regular at 3B. The
Pirates have little at the position in their system, however, which probably explains
their interest in re-acquiring Bautista, so he may eventually get a chance to win
the 3B job if he plays well enough. He'll begin 2005 in AA.
Return to Third Basemen