Major League Slugger Jose Bautista Discusses Breakout Season

Major League Slugger Jose Bautista supports teammate Jesse Litsch at Celebrity Golf Outing and discusses with Jared Ginsberg of Class Act Sports what it was like to hit 54 home runs, as well as what he’s looking to accomplish in 2011.

The stars were out at Toronto Blue Jays’ Jessie Litsch and Bechtel Financial’s Celebrity Charity Golf Outing in Tampa, Florida, including a number of his major league teammates. Among them was Jose Bautista, who is coming off a breakout 2010 season where he underwent an offensive transformation that had pitchers shaking in their cleats by the early days of summer. Not only did his standout year land him the Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award, and an All Star selection, but the 30-year-old right fielder just inked a five-year, $64 million deal with Toronto, keeping him north of the border for the foreseeable future. Jared Ginsberg and Class Act Sports caught up with 2010’s home run champion to discuss his season and future with the Jays.

Toronto is clearly expecting a bright future for Bautista, who went from being a productive bench player to one of the hottest power hitters in the league during 2010. He exceeded his runs scored, home runs, RBI, and walk totals from 2008 and 2009 combined while depositing 54 baseballs in the seats throughout the season, which was a surprise even for him.

“It was definitely exciting. I made some adjustments at the plate, and I got the opportunity to play on a daily basis. I kinda took the bull by the horns and had a good season,” he said.

Changes in Bautista’s swing and plate approach during 2009-10 were well documented by analysts around the country, especially when he began to explode offensively last year. He upped his totals in every single offensive category, while also recording a career best .260 batting average.

Bautista commented on his adjustments, saying,

“I’ve always felt like I’ve underplayed my ability, so I really worked hard in the spring and the previous offseason, you know trying to make some adjustments at the plate, and getting ready to hit earlier. That allowed me to be more aggressive and see the ball better, and when the ball was in the strike zone, just hit it hard.”

Of course, with success also comes criticism, as many people seem skeptical about the Dominican Republic native repeating his 2010 success during the upcoming season. The Jays obviously believe in him though, and reiterated their sentiments with a lucrative five year deal for the right fielder, who wasn’t stressed about any naysayers in baseball media.

“There’s not much I can do but go out there and do it again,” he said coolly.

Most importantly, Toronto will once again be in possibly the toughest division in baseball as they take on New York, Boston, and a revitalized Baltimore squad for a coveted spot in the postseason. Bautista was far more concerned with racking up victories during 2011, rather than hanging more eye-popping numbers, which should put a smile on Jays fans’ faces everywhere.

“I’m gonna try to help the team win as many games as we can. If I hit 40 home runs, 30 home runs, 25 home runs, that’s fine with me. I don’t really care about a number of home runs as long as we win games.”