I was thinking about writing a post fleshing out more my feelings about how bad I thought it was that Travis Snider isn't going to be the starting right fielder, and instead Cito says it's going to be Jose Bautista out there and batting leadoff. Originally I thought this was pretty stupid, but then in thinking about a post to write about how stupid it was I started thinking about it and, well, maybe it's not that simple. So here are the multiple ways it seems you can approach this, some a little more sympathetic to what might be the Jays thinking, some not so.
1. Maybe this is just some final mind games with Travis, and he's going to get a shot out in right to start or eventually in spring if he's hitting up a storm, and it really will be Travis in right and Lind in left most of the time and let's see how it goes. The problem with this thinking is:
2. If you can't find a place for Bautista then who is going to lead off? I mean as much as I might like to say, "who cares the team sucks, they are going to lose 100 games what does it matter if they have a leadoff hitter or not", Cito actually has to manage the team, a team full of guys who probably aren't going to be happy to loose 100 games, even if it is in their best long term interest. Do I really know that Travis even is going to be happy getting 600AB on a miserable team where guys are grumbling about they can't get anybody on base. Will Hill, will Lind? As much as I don't care about these things and discount them, even I can't say they don't exist at all. At least this looks like it's a plan that may not completely suck to the team, rather than just capitulation before you even start.
3. If you told me that Scutaro was going to have the kind of success leading off that he did last season, I would have told you you were crazy. Maybe it was just a fluke. Or maybe Cito really did work some magic and he thinks he can do it again. That really is the X-factor that I hadn't thought of before I started considering this, I wonder if anybody else has (I haven't noticed at bluejays.com or djf)? And if he really can turn Bautista into an above average MLB offensive force for the next 4 or 5 season (800+ OPS, 15-20HR 370OBP) that should certainly make people look differently at his legacy. You don't want that guy batting leadoff and playing rf or even cf?
4. Or maybe just screw it! My first thought was the best one. Bautista will never be anything but a utility guy with some pop. Bat Gonzalez at lead off, bat Encarnacion there for all I care. Just put Snider in rf and Lind in lf and let them prove they can't play. That is what's most important.
In the end this is more complex than I thought, and it makes me a little more sympathetic to the position Cito is in, and a little more upset at atos for putting him in this position. Maybe it explains the Gregg signing a little more. I mean as much as everybody maybe upset that Cito is mysteriously here for one more season, he doesn't have to be, and he's actually putting himself in a pretty lousy no-win situation doing it. He really is taking one for the team in a lot of ways. Why shouldn't he do it the way he see's best.
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