We all know that Jose Bautista has been having a great season. He is currently leading the league in home runs with 37, 6 more than any other player. But we probably didn't realize just how great of a season it has been in comparison to all other Blue Jays seasons.
Only eight times has a player for the Blue Jays hit at least 40 home runs, and only six players have done it (Carlos Delgado did it three times, in 1999, 2000, and 2003). Bautista already has 37 home runs, and is on pace for 50, which would be the first time a Blue Jays batter has hit 50 home runs in a season (the highest single season total is 47 by George Bell in 1987). Bautista should at least hit 48 home runs to break the single season record.
Pretty good, right? It actually gets better. Bautista is not only hitting a lot of home runs, he is actually getting on base a ton too (he is currently tied with Daric Barton for the AL lead in walks with 73). Bautista is already only the third player in franchise history with at least 37 home runs and an on-base percentage of at least .370. If he can keep his OBP at .370 and hit just eight more home runs, he will have the most home runs by a Jays player with an OBP of at least .370.
So we can see that this season has been a very special one for Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays. Although he has not hit for a high average, he has excelled in a few key areas, such as hitting home runs, walking, and also throwing out baserunners (he is second in the MLB this year with 10 assists, only one behind Shin-Soo Choo). Hopefully he can play this well the rest of the season and for the next couple of years.
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