Atlanta Braves: Jose Bautista showing he is not the answer

The Atlanta Braves took a chance on Jose Bautista, signing him to a minor league deal. His performance thus far is showing that he is not the answer at third this year.

Third base has seemingly been a source of concern for the Atlanta Braves this season. On paper, this is an interesting place to consider a possible problem, as Ryan Flaherty and Johan Camargo have been swinging solid bats to start the year. Heading into Tuesday night, Flaherty had posted a .300/.398/.400 batting line with six extra base hits. Camargo, meanwhile, has performed reasonably well when healthy, with a .294/.368/.706 batting line, albeit in 19 plate appearances. The Braves also have top prospect Austin Riley waiting in the wings, third base would not appear to be an issue.

Nonetheless, the Braves signed Jose Bautista, with the plan of playing him at third. Expectations were that Bautista would progress through the minors quickly, and join the Braves as their new slugging third baseman. After all, Flaherty is playing far beyond his career norms, and Camargo may be better suited as a utility player. However, at this point, Bautista is not exactly earning a promotion to the majors.

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This lack of production comes after a dreadful season in Toronto last year. The Blue Jays former fan favorite produced a miserable .203/.308/.366 batting line in his 686 plate appearances. While he was able to hit 23 homers last season, Bautista’s bat looked slow. He struck out 170 times last season, a total that was 54 more than his previous high in whiffs.

Thus far, at least at the AAA level, Bautista is doing nothing to make his performance last season seem like a fluke. His only extra base hit for Gwinnett has been a double, which is disappointing for a player with the track record Bautista has had. Yes, he has drawn five walks, but the Braves did not bring him in for his plate discipline. If they wanted a player that draws walks, they already have Flaherty for that job.

It is understandable that the Braves would want to take a look at a player with the track record that Bautista has. Add in his connection to general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and this seemed like a natural fit. However, at 37 years old, Bautista does not appear to have much, if anything, left.

Next: The evolution of Kurt Suzuki

The Atlanta Braves were hoping that Jose Bautista had one last hurrah. Instead, it looks as though it is time for Bautista to hang up his spikes.