Late in the winter, Cito Gaston suggested that Jose Bautista could be the leadoff man, which just seemed like one of those silly things that managers sometimes say. But Bautista opened the spring batting leadoff, and has been having a great spring (though at this writing, he has ZERO walks - and also zero strikeouts. It's spring).

And with the absence of another candidate, we have to at least start thinking about what Bautista might have to offer in the role. Which brings us to Bautista's 2009 season, which was quietly (very quietly) one of the most interesting on the team.

First six weeks of the season

On May 24, Bautista had come to the plate 100 times, and was batting .304 with a .433 on-base percentage, one of the best marks in the league. He only had one homer, but had 17 walks. He appeared to be making a conscious effort to take more pitches and get on base.

The next 13 weeks

Word got around that Bautista was taking lots of pitches, so pitchers started challenging him with strikes - and he froze up. From May 25 to the end of August, he hit .182 with two homers. He drew 28 walks, to push his OBP over .300, but also struck out 37 times.

It happens. When we talk about a player who lacking plate discipline, we usually think of someone who is swinging at pitches outside the zone. But once in a while, a hitter won't be able to pull the trigger on pitches that are in the zone. Such was Bautista.

He was especially bad with runners in scoring position. On the year, he hit .172 with one homer and 25 strikeouts over 109 plate appearances with RISP. At the end of August, there didn't seem to be much chance that he would be a Blue Jay in 2010, let alone the leadoff hitter.

September

He got unstuck, and hit ten home runs in the final month. For three months, pitchers were able to groove pitches down the middle of the plate to Bautista, and he would watch them sail by. He finally started to take some cuts, and he made impressive contact, and (sort of) saved his season numbers.

So here we are, asking whether Bautista has the plate discipline to bat leadoff. And the obvious answer would appear to be, well, no; he tried that last year, making a conscious effort to take more pitches, and the results were disastrous.

On the other hand, Gaston and the Jays might be thinking

• maybe he made an adjustment last year, and emerged from a difficult transition period better able to balance patience and aggressiveness at the plate
• even if he falls into another funk, his inability to hit with runners in scoring position will be less of a problem in the leadoff role
• as already mentioned, there aren't many other options (Jose Molina?)

There is the added problem of whether Bautista can play regularly without a position. He's not a starter - but could in theory play almost every day by moving from the corner outfield spots to third base to first base to DH. Or he hits well enough he might be able to usurp the starting third base role from Edwin Encarnacion.

In any case, it's spring; in a year in which it seems almost certain that the Jays will be below-average in runs scored, now is the time to ponder/dream whether a 29-year-old can suddenly "get it" and give the team a boost at the top of the lineup that it will desperately need.

Late in the winter, Cito Gaston suggested that Jose Bautista could be the leadoff man, which just seemed like one of those silly things that managers sometimes say. But Bautista opened the spring batting leadoff, and has been having a great spring (though at this writing, he has ZERO walks - and also zero strikeouts. It's spring).

And with the absence of another candidate, we have to at least start thinking about what Bautista might have to offer in the role. Which brings us to Bautista's 2009 season, which was quietly (very quietly) one of the most interesting on the team.

First six weeks of the season

On May 24, Bautista had come to the plate 100 times, and was batting .304 with a .433 on-base percentage, one of the best marks in the league. He only had one homer, but had 17 walks. He appeared to be making a conscious effort to take more pitches and get on base.

The next 13 weeks

Word got around that Bautista was taking lots of pitches, so pitchers started challenging him with strikes - and he froze up. From May 25 to the end of August, he hit .182 with two homers. He drew 28 walks, to push his OBP over .300, but also struck out 37 times.

It happens. When we talk about a player who lacking plate discipline, we usually think of someone who is swinging at pitches outside the zone. But once in a while, a hitter won't be able to pull the trigger on pitches that are in the zone. Such was Bautista.

He was especially bad with runners in scoring position. On the year, he hit .172 with one homer and 25 strikeouts over 109 plate appearances with RISP. At the end of August, there didn't seem to be much chance that he would be a Blue Jay in 2010, let alone the leadoff hitter.

September

He got unstuck, and hit ten home runs in the final month. For three months, pitchers were able to groove pitches down the middle of the plate to Bautista, and he would watch them sail by. He finally started to take some cuts, and he made impressive contact, and (sort of) saved his season numbers.

So here we are, asking whether Bautista has the plate discipline to bat leadoff. And the obvious answer would appear to be, well, no; he tried that last year, making a conscious effort to take more pitches, and the results were disastrous.

On the other hand, Gaston and the Jays might be thinking

• maybe he made an adjustment last year, and emerged from a difficult transition period better able to balance patience and aggressiveness at the plate
• even if he falls into another funk, his inability to hit with runners in scoring position will be less of a problem in the leadoff role
• as already mentioned, there aren't many other options (Jose Molina?)

There is the added problem of whether Bautista can play regularly without a position. He's not a starter - but could in theory play almost every day by moving from the corner outfield spots to third base to first base to DH. Or he hits well enough he might be able to usurp the starting third base role from Edwin Encarnacion.

In any case, it's spring; in a year in which it seems almost certain that the Jays will be below-average in runs scored, now is the time to ponder/dream whether a 29-year-old can suddenly "get it" and give the team a boost at the top of the lineup that it will desperately need.