Know Your (New-ish) Jays: Troy Tulowitzki

Yadda yadda Colorado, yadda yadda trade, AA is a wizard, yadda yadda Jose Reyes.

So. Tulo. Unlike a lot of baseball fans, I managed to remain completely oblivious to most of the National League until fairly recently. So believe it or not, when everyone was freaking out about him being acquired at the trade deadline, I was like "Who in the heck is THIS guy?!" (Then again, I was also minorly bummed about Brett Lawrie leaving in the Josh Donaldson trade, so what do I know). And then I did some research and I was like "Holy crap. How did we GET this guy?!"

Does he have Twitter: No he doesn't. Boo, I know.

Irrelevant Facts: My sister, who had never been to a ballgame in her life, and probably never sat through the entirety of one on TV, just so happened to be at his first game as a Blue Jay. She therefore also saw his first home run with the team, live. I was immensely jealous.

His eyes are hazel, but the weird kind of hazel where they look a different colour depending on the angle and the lighting. It took me months of watching his interviews to notice this. Weird.

His young son's name is Taz, which I'm not sure but may possibly be an homage to the Tasmanian Devil from Loony Tunes. Even if it's not, I would like to think it is, because I know Tulo secretly has a whimsical side.

Best quotes: "I thought it was an elbow, but it was Kevin's chin." So simple. So matter-of-fact. Kind of accusatory. (I'm only laughing about this now because he's healed. At the time, this was painful to think about)

Talking about Taz and baseball - "He hits on the tee in the clubhouse, at home. He talks about Ace constantly. He learns the guys’ names, he loves Russ for some reason, he’s really stuck on him. Bautista he says, he’s starting to learn JD, so he’s starting to really pay attention to the game."

What he's good at: You know how ballerinas can jump across the stage and then spin in mid-air? Well Tulo does that, but while throwing a baseball. There's no other way to describe it. All across the world, thousands of little kids are being taught to plant their feet before they throw, and then Tulo just defies all of the traditional teachings and does his own thing. 

Jumping, in general, seems to be something he's remarkably good at (Did he find Brett Lawrie's stash of Redbull? Does he have springs on his feet? Who knows), whether it's hopping over a clumsy catcher trying to land a tag, or leaping out of the way of a stupid slide. Maybe he should have named his son Tigger, if he inherited the bouncy gene... 

What he's not so good at: There's always the 'Tulo's made of glass' narrative, but other that that, I can't really find fault in any part of him. And aside from a collision with the chin-who-shall-not-be-named, he's done hardly anything to hurt himself this season, which is pretty impressive.

2015 Season highlights: He hasn't been 100% up-to-offensive-form this year (mainly due to his shoulder) and then there's the whole theory about the thinner air in Colorado, but he's still delivered some pretty clutch hits. Everyone keeps saying "Just wait, he's really really good when he's playing like himself. You haven't seen anything yet." I mean, his first hit as a Jay was a soaring home run, so who am I to argue?

He has kind of a strangely upright batting stance, but we love him for it. And take a look at the wide base his feet make as he completes his swing - that's all power, right there.
Way to make a first impression, bud!

His first defensive play in Toronto wasn't anything too special, other than being successful - but take a look at who he just so happened to get out...
He happened to be the runner on base that Donaldson drove in to cause a walk-off against the Kansas City Royals on July 31st. And then there's the fact that after he joined the team, they went on an 11-game win streak, and were 12-0 with him in the starting lineup (he sat the day after that walk-off, the only game they lost until August 14th). Toronto fans started to think he was our lucky charm. 

It was only fitting that, on the day that record-breaking streak finally ended, down by one run to the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, that Tulo was the last out. He struck out with a full count against reliever Andrew Miller, after an incredible battle that lasted nearly ten minutes and felt like much longer. For context - Miller has the third-highest swing-and-miss rate in the entire league. His pitches are hard to make contact with. And Tulo fouled off ten of them. I was disappointed, sure, that that streak was broken when they were so close, but you just couldn't be mad at him. He definitely didn't go down easily. There's no video I could find of that at-bat, but everyone was talking about how remarkable it was. That, boys and girls, was good batting. 

Why I love him: I have learned to love good defense as much, if not more than, anyone else. So his impressive range and spinning and incredible throws are plenty amazing. I also like dingers as much as the next guy, and for some reason I'm always surprised to remember he only hit 5 with the Jays this season. Somehow it's always felt like more. 

I like the way he gives interviews, too. He's always very focused, precise in his choice of wording without hesitation. There's no beating around the bush with him, he's very straightforward and yet tactful. Like after he told off Detroit's Anthony Gose for a questionable slide late in a game the Tigers were losing by 14 runs - "I definitely had a few words for him. He didn't have anything for me back." I remember the first interview he gave after being traded, he kind of reminded me of a hockey player for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that he's always wearing plaid shirts, maybe it was the honest, blunt way he spoke, maybe it was the fact that I'm used to seeing hockey players holding press conferences instead of baseball players, but that struck a chord with my Canadian soul, and I have yet to lose that feeling.

It's also easy to admire the sense of mutual respect he seems to command with the umpires and other players - even when there has been a disputed call or something, he's been able to have a discussion with them without anything escalating.

Look at them all, listening so intently to what Tulo has to say.

As much as I love players who wear their emotions on their sleeve, there's something to be said for variety, and sometimes cool, calm and collected like Tulo carries the day. In a similar vein - when he gets mad, or excited, then you know there's something to really be upset or happy about. I feel like he's the kind of person that, if you can get a small laugh out of him, it's more rewarding than a big laugh from other people.

Happy Tulo, angry Tulo - can you spot the difference?

It's a weird kind of indescribable confidence I have in him, somehow I just trust the guy. Even during the few periods where he was slumping at the plate, I never worried like I have with other players, never felt bad for him, never felt anything other than a sense of 'he's got this under control'. The same thing when he was injured - you knew he was doing his best to get back to the team, but you also knew that he knows his own body the best out of anyone, and he would make the correct judgement call to not hasten back if he wasn't ready.

Is it weird that I actually find this strangely reassuring... #PrayForTulo https://t.co/VmdacltpHo

— Em Blue Jays girl (@JaysGirlEmily) September 13, 2015

Speaking of injuries, when he was asked about whether his injury-prone self was concerned about the turf at the Dome, he had this to say: "I've talked to a some of the other guys, and it doesn't seem to affect them ... the research that I've done, maybe moreso the guys with back issues, it stiffens them up, but that's never really been a problem for me." That was so refreshing to hear, that he wasn't just going to assume the turf would be a problem (cough, Buck Showalter, cough cough) and was approaching it with an open mind. 

I love his dedication to the eyeblack - even when the game being played is indoors, or at night, you'll never see him without the stuff. In fact, the first few games he was sitting on the bench after getting injured, it took me a moment to recognize him without his trademark markings. And I'm sure Gregg Zaun would applaud the dedication Tulo has to wearing the flip-down shades - no matter how silly looking they are.  

He has a few little rituals that I find endearing - one where he goes back and touches second base before resuming his position after talking to the pitcher - and another where, before every pitch, he holds his bat straight outward, puffs up his cheeks while looking at it, and then exhales quickly and steps into the batter's box (I first noticed this during his aforementioned battle with Miller, because they would call time and he'd do it between every pitch).

I call it his chipmunk face. 

Off-Field Antics: He's pretty serious, doesn't get up to much in the dugout, and keeps his personal life personal, but over the course of the many clinching celebrations this year, he has been known to chuckle good-naturedly while a teammate (usually Josh Donaldson - why is it always Donaldson?) pours beer over his head and screams at him in excitement. 

When the famous number 2 (which has more to do to a love of Derek Jeter than it does with the number sounding like part of his last name) arrived in Toronto, his number was already occupied by third base coach Luis Rivera. Rivera graciously switched to number four in order to accommodate his new shortstop, and Tulo surprised him with an expensive custom-engraved watch as a thank you gift. How sweet.

There was also the time this happened during warm-ups, the photo that launched a thousand memes:

Pensive Tulo? Sleepy Tulo? Draw-Me-Like-One-Of-Your-French-Girls Tulo? Who cares, we can all agree that this photo is priceless. 

And there exists proof that, on a rare occasion, he actually does smile!

And such a lovely smile it is, too!

Fictional/cartoon character he resembles: A young, hazel-eyed, attractive Sean Penn. (Such a comparison fits in this category, because there has never been an attractive version of Sean Penn). It's there in the nose, and the intense brows, and the jawline. This older picture from when he had longer hair might help illustrate my point: 

And then, after all, there's this...

Know Your Jays: Michael Saunders

Who??

(I'm just kidding. He is, of course, the outfielder that the Jays traded Woody Harrelson-lookalike pitcher JA Happ for prior to this season, who then got injured by stepping on a sprinkler and appeared in 9 games at the end of April/May before his injury shut him down for the rest of the season. He wasn't with the team long enough for us to establish if he has any sort of personality, or what he's good/not good at. Also he's Canadian. Get well soon, Michael!)

It's near-impossible to find a photo of him in a Jays uniform. But I picked this one because I like his smile. 

Know your Jays: Edwin Encarnacion

Also known as Eddie, Big E, or Double-E, he's the always-reliable 4th batter in the lineup, following friend (and fellow Dominican) Jose Bautista. When there are days he isn't playing first base, he's probably the designated hitter because he's such an important part of the batting order!

Does he have Twitter - Yes, under the clever first-last blending name @Encadwin but he doesn't use it very often. He has an Instagram under the same name as well, those posts are few and far between. But if you can read Spanish, go ahead and take a look!

Irrelvant Facts - When Toronto acquired him in 2009 from the Reds, the Jays GM had been trying to get pitching. Reds management wouldn't accept the trade unless the Jays also took Edwin alongside the two intended pitchers. Your loss is our gain, Cincinnati!

Things He's Good at - He hits a lot of home runs. And I mean a lot. He holds the Blue Jays team record for the most home runs hit in a single month - 16 in August of this year - and is also one of only 3 Jays players to homer three times in one game, and he's done it twice.

He also hits them far, including to the 500 level of the SkyDome - making him one of only a handful of Jays players to ever do this.

 

Things He's Not So Good At - He doesn't run terribly fast, but when you're hitting no-doubt homers all the time, who needs running? That's actually a theory of mine - he hits so many homers so he can take his time going around the bases. It's more fun that way.

He also has various injuries that tend to pop up at random throughout the season and make him unavailable for days or even weeks at a time. But he always makes the most of his time at the plate! 


2015 season highlights - On June 9th the Blue Jays were trailing 3-2 in the 9th inning against the Miami Marlins when Edwin, returning from a shoulder injury, hit a home run that drove in Josh Donaldson and walked off the game. In the video he can clearly be seen pointing to his shoulder as he reaches home plate, reminding his teammates to be careful!


On August 29th, EE hit 3 homers in the same game, including a grand slam (his third of the season) and 9 RBI. His previous personal record for RBIs in one game was 6 - he also tied the team record with 9 in a single game, a record that has stood since their inaugural 1976 season and hadn't even been tied since. The third grand slam in one season also meant he tied a team record.

This was only the second time in Edwin's career he'd accomplished the 'hat trick' - a fact Canadian fans acknowledged by throwing their caps on the field and giving him a 5-minute standing ovation while the grounds crew ran around cleaning them up. He became the first ever Blue Jay to hit a grand slam and a 3-run homer in the same game, and was just a solo homer short of hitting for the 'home run cycle'. Interestingly enough, in the first inning of the game the following day, he hit a solo home run. Since there had been no bottom ninth the day before, as the Blue Jays were winning, he technically hit a 'home run cycle' within nine consecutive innings.

His home runs that day also extended his personal-best hit streak to 24 games. It was the longest streak this season in MLB at that point. He eventually reached 26 games in the streak, the longest ever for a Blue Jay player, but his on-base streak continued well into September (as he had walked in the first game when he didn't record a hit).

He received the AL Player of the Month award for all his hitting in August. This is even more impressive when you take into consideration the fact that he was out injured for several games at the beginning of the month.

Off-field antics: He always seems to be enjoying himself in the dugout with his teammates, and his reactions are sometimes the most dramatic of anyone.

One of my personal favourite Edwin stories is this, when he met a young boy at a game who had a prosthetic leg with a Blue Jays design on it. He took the leg and got the other members of the team to sign it (with the family's permission, of course!)
When he had his 'hat trick' game, he promised that he would sign each of the hats thrown on the field by fans, and sign them, and try to return them to their rightful owners. Which would be a heck of a task to undertake, but such a sweet gesture!

Fictional/Cartoon Character He Resembles: I was actually kind of stumped for this one, until one day my sister was watching The Lion King and it hit me - he's Pumbaa! Now this is in no way an insinuation that he smells bad (how would I know, I've never met the guy) but think about it - he's a big strong dude, which could be physically intimidating at first, but he's got a heart of gold. He's also part of an inseparable duo - which by extension I guess would mean Jose Bautista is Timon.

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Know Your Jays: Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson. Son of Donald. Dosh Jonaldson. Our Savior. He Who Gets It Done. The Bringer of Rain. Bringer of Homers. Bringer of Walk-offs. MVP! MVP! For some reason I always want to call him Joshy Don, but I'm sure he would not like that, so I don't do it (because sometimes he scares me a little). If you ask anyone who just began following the Blue Jays this year, he's responsible for literally every win they've had.

As you probably already know, he was traded for Brett Lawrie (and friends) before the 2015 season, which surprised a lot of people because A) A lot of people loved Brett Lawrie and B) A lot of people were surprised Oakland would let him go for such a low price.

His hair is kinda weird, but that's OK because he's the best and we love him. At least it's not that bizarre mohawk/rattail he had the last few years with the A's. What's not OK is the Yankees' Twitter mocking said hair, because that's just douchey. We do it with love. It's like how it's fine for you to tease your family, but if anyone else does it, you'll kick their ass. Not cool, Yankees.

Does he have Twitter?: Yup, and it's where the 'Bringer of Rain' handle came from - he gave it to himself. He's semi-active online when he doesn't have a game to play, and pretty sassy, too. I asked the Jays to play all day games so that he could devote his evenings to tweeting, but no luck.

Irrelevant Facts: The nickname 'Bringer of Rain' came from the TV show Spartacus, which he apparently is a huge fan of. And considering how much I love TV, anyone who names themselves after their favourite show is pretty awesome in my book.

He also appears to be friends with Freddie Prinze, Jr. Lucky guy. (Or is Freddie Prinze Jr, the lucky one because he's friends with Josh Donaldson?)

@RealFPJr it's a tough game. Good thing my about having teammates is they can go deep too. 😂😂

— Josh Donaldson (@BringerOfRain20) August 13, 2015

During his first two seasons in Oakland, he was a catcher. Which seems weird to me. That would be like Kevin Pillar playing shortstop. It's just wrong. I would, however, love to see JD in catcher's gear at some point (although hopefully not during an important game... because that would mean something bad happened to Martin and/or Navarro, and besides - who the hell would play third?!). Solely for selfish reasons, because catchers are my favourite.

Best Quotes: (On Edwin Encarnacion, said at 2 a.m. EST while possibly falling asleep) "He's a guy who... hits balls really hard." 

(On learning he'd been traded to the Jays) "I seen on Twitter somebody put me in one of those Toronto Blue Jays uniforms — the all-white one. I tell you what: those uniforms are pretty sexy.”

What he's good at: He hits lots of things, like home runs. He hits in important situations, like late innings in close games, or to start off the scoring in a game. Have I mentioned that he hits a lot of home runs? Because he does. (True fact: just after I typed that sentence, he hit another one. I'm not kidding. August 18th, 2015. First inning in Philly. Look it up).

He's had so many home runs this year that it's hard to pick a favourite, so here are a bunch from the first half of the season handily compiled together. My favourite part of these astonishing feats of power are his reactions - particularly around 0:29 and 1:15. The way that smile creeps across his face is just beautiful.

He also doesn't need no stinking glove to be one of the best 3rd basemen in all of baseball. He snags, he jumps, he stretches, he pivots, he dives, he leaps, and he throws. Sometimes he does more than one of those things at a time.

I mean at this point, the glove is just a formality.

An accessory, at most...

His spray chart is astonishing, in that it's so evenly spread-out. Most right-handed hitters tend to hit to the left side of the diamond, but other than on balls he's been thrown out on, that doesn't seem to be the case. You can never really predict where he's going to hit to, which is probably why he keeps everyone on the opposing team on their toes. His home runs, in particular, are more perfectly distributed than sprinkles on a cake. (Fun fact: Once during BP, he batted from his left side, just to see what it was like - and he hit a home run. Because of course he did. He's Josh Donaldson.)





What he's not so good at: Keeping the ball inside the park. Mwahaha.

He's also got the most errors per games played for any Jays player not named Jose Reyes in 2015. Many of those are throwing errors, overshooting the first baseman in his haste to be rid of a ball. Fortunately, most of these errors didn't end up costing the team. The haste also calmed down a fair bit in the second half of the season, which is good. But it's still something to be concerned about. If his glove (or other hand, as the case may be) are so steady, why doesn't he have time to prepare the throw? Sometimes it's completely necessary, like when the runner is crazy fast, but it's generally better to be accurate than to be early.

Though he's fairly mild-mannered and smiley once the game is over, he's intense to the point of scary at times when playing. Like a tightly wound spring being released, he explodes with energy, either with his bat or his arm or, on occasion, his mouth. Who can forget the storm of curses which turned us all into lip-readers that he unleashed in the direction of the LA Angels dugout? Who even knows what exactly provoked that?
I'm always concerned that that kind of thing is going to get him in trouble, especially when he's angry at an umpire, or one of the numerous pitchers who mistook him for the catcher's mitt. Obviously, having a guy throw at your head is not to be taken lightly (especially when that guy has zero repercussion for it, as happened with the Royals) and I absolutely expect him to get mad in those cases. But if a fight were to break out in a close game, the Jays can't really afford to lose their biggest masher to an ejection. I'm worried that one day, he's going to cuss out the wrong person, and said person will send him packing. This is another reason I appreciate Jose Bautista's efforts to insert himself between Donaldson and the object of his anger. A step back and few deep breaths in those moments could go a long way.

Why I love him: Did you not see the thing about all the homers he hits?



The ritual of 'throwing up the six' after crossing home plate each time he homers is a tribute to his buddy, starting pitcher (and #6) Marcus Stroman, who was out injured for most of the season. Every time, we were reminded that even though Stroman couldn't be with the team, he was nonetheless a part of it, and Donaldson was making sure he wasn't forgotten.

He puts 100% of himself into everything he does on the field. Even when the Jays are winning by a huge margin, he goes all-in on a play, or smacks the ball as hard as it will go, just because he can. He's incredibly intense, focused and dedicated - and that's really hard not to respect.

He's also astonishingly modest considering all his impressive skills. When asked about the MVP chants that fans were sending his way, he pointed out that baseball is a team sport and he expects himself to play well for the purpose of helping out his teammates. He wants to win, obviously, but it's not about personal glory or taking all the credit. He was blown away by the support of Canadian fans voting him into the All-Star Game and really just seemed thrilled to be there.

He deserved every single vote he got. And in his own words, Canada 'got it done'.

2015 Season highlights: His previous record for home runs came last year with 29. On August 5th he hit his 29th of this season, and 2015 Josh Donaldson took a look at 2014 Josh Donaldson, nodded, and kept right on going. He hit his 30th two days later. He eventually reached 41 homers in the regular season, more than any of his teammates.

His home runs seem to come at the most timely of times, with the majority of them either tying the game or giving the Jays the lead. Two such homers were responsible for impressive walk-off victories, including the Jays' first walk-off of the season, on April 18th in the 10th inning against the Braves. A second came, on May 25th, that scored three runs in a game it didn't seem the Jays would be able to win over the White Sox. It was his second homer in that game.

He also caused a third walk-off on July 31st facing the Royals when he hit a single that scored Troy Tulowitzki from second base in the 11th inning.

On June 23rd, in Tampa Bay, pitcher Marco Estrada had a seven-inning perfect game going when David DeJesus hit a foul ball. It was well over the line, into the stands, but Donaldson wanted so badly for Estrada to get his perfect game that he launched himself into the seats and snagged the ball. Considering all the stupid and recurring injuries Jays players had suffered this year, I was afraid he had broken something, but he emerged triumphantly, grinning and holding the ball aloft. The guy is indestructible.

That turned out to be the last out of the perfect-game bid, as the next batter hit a single that JD couldn't get to first base in time, but no matter. That catch went down as one of the most impressive of the Jays' season, and gave Estrada something to smile about even after being unsuccessful.

On August 22nd, Josh became the first player in the MLB to reach 100 RBI this season, which made him only the second Blue Jay ever (after Carlos Delgado in 2003) to accomplish that feat before everyone else. He also beat his own personal best for RBI in a season - 94 - that game. The same day, he became the first Blue Jays third baseman since Kelly Gruber to have six RBI in the same game.

Also in the month of August, Josh and Edwin Encarnacion became only the third pair of teammates ever in MLB history to both have more than ten home runs and 35 or more RBIs in the same month. (The 35 RBIs in one month are a Blue Jays record). They joined on that list pairs such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, aaaaand... Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. That's it. Ever. How insane is that?!

Off-field antics: His wicked sense of humour, and the sneaky smile that accompanies it, are two of my favourite things about him. He's perhaps the guy, out of the entire team, who's the most different in person from his intense on-field persona. Just watch this video:

Look at that cheeky grin. Just look at it. LOOK AT IT! 

A bunch of Twitter people made up 'Josh Donaldson as your boyfriend' stories one night, because they were bored. I, unfortunately did not get in on this until it was too late, but it was one of the most awesome running jokes I've ever seen. Somehow they turned him into John Bender. (If you don't know who that is, away with you and don't you dare come back until you've watched The Breakfast Club in its entirety).

As if that weren't enough, the man himself actually responded to it:

@MissStaceyMay @steven_lebron Oh my! How do you all know so much about me? 😂😂

— Josh Donaldson (@BringerOfRain20) August 19, 2015

Then there's the time the entirety of Canada rallied behind him to elect him to the All-Star Game - breaking the all-time record for votes for a single player in the process. He also had the help of two Canadian celebs who used their popularity to push the non-baseball-watching general public to vote for him: Don Cherry and actor Stephen Amell.
To officially cement just how much the country loves JD, he caught a ceremonial first pitch thrown out by Cherry, on Canada Day, no less. The Hockey Night in Canada host was nervous about embarrassing himself, and Donaldson apparently told him 'Don't worry, I won't let you look bad.'

Amell was present at a different game, where the two of them hung out during batting practise, and Donaldson challenged Amell to hit a home run, which he did. Amell then asked Donaldson if he would hit a home run during the game that day - and lo and behold, he did.

JD also took part in a recurring bit at the SkyDome where they show a brief video between innings called 'The Roof Report with Josh Donaldson'. I thought this was only a one-time thing (I only ever heard about them using it at the home opener) but then my sister went to a game, and then I went to a game - and apparently they use it every day! It's awesome!
Much in the same vein as Captain Obvious, it's literally a 3-second clip where he sits at a desk and informs the live audience whether the roof is open or closed. The intro and closing portions (wherein an announcer says "And now, The Roof Report with the Bringer of Rain, Josh Donaldson" and "This has been The Roof Report with Josh Donaldson") are longer than the part featuring JD himself.
If you haven't caught on yet, the joke is the fact that the audience are IN the SkyDome, and therefore fully aware of whether the roof is open or closed. For some reason I find this utterly hilarious.

Fictional/cartoon character he resembles: I'm gonna go with Sonic the Hedgehog, because of the spiky hair and the perpetually-arched eyebrows. Also because he looks good in blue.

Hopefully he'll also excel at collecting rings. (Get it? Championship rings?? Teehee)

He's as clutch as clutch can be, and brings whatever kind of precipitation is necessary to win a ballgame. No matter the city, no matter the weather, our boy can make it rain.

In closing, I'm just gonna leave these here*:

*Although not to burst anyone's bubble (including my own) I'm pretty sure he's just blinking. 

[GIFs created by the Blue Jay Hunter]

Know Your Jays: Jose Bautista

Jose Antonio Bautista. Joey Bats. Number 19. Our fearless leader. He's known by many names. You may be surprised to learn that apparently most people mispronounce his last name. According to his MLB player profile, it's pronounced 'bahhh-tista', not 'boww-tista'. Until he corrects the announcers, however, I remain unconvinced.

Does he have Twitter: He does! @JoeyBats19 His tweets are frequent, entertaining (if occasionally self-promoting) and emoji-laden. Bonus: He also has an equally-active Instagram! His hashtag game is possibly the best I've ever seen. 

Irrelevant Facts: He's one of only three remaining players from when the Jays had those black jerseys and the logo with the angry-looking bird. (The other two are Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Cecil).

The man REALLY loves his breakfast cereal.

His initials (JB) are also the team's initials (BJ) in reverse. Coincidence?? ... Yes. 

Best quote: (On the players added at the trade deadline) "It’s almost like being at war and running low on ammo, and the next thing you know, here comes a little parachute with a crate. And it lands right next to you. And it’s full of ammo. You’re like, ‘Yeah, baby,'"

(When asked if he had a response to an opposing pitcher griping about his bat-flip) "No."

What he's good at: Lots of things! Hitting things, catching things, looking very casual while doing those things... Or better yet, catching things dramatically. He's a good 8 years older than his centerfield counterpart Kevin Pillar, but is just as capable of the acrobatic catches. They're just not always necessary. But when they are, they're spectacular. (See second video) He's probably able to do those things because he stretches more than a yoga instructor.

He's also legendary for responding to bush-league moves (i.e. throwing at him) with his swing (see first video), often in the same at-bat. You don't want to make this guy angry. You won't like him when he's angry. Especially if you're a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

He's been the face of the franchise for several years now, and the face of some other things, including Booster Juice and TD Canada Trust Bank, for some reason.

He's also crazy smart. He wrote this amazing article about the importance of education for international baseball prospects. He's from the Dominican Republic (but you probably already knew that) and has a foundation to provide opportunities for amateur ballplayers to get a higher education. Good guy.
  
What he's not so good at: Keeping quiet. Which is actually a good thing. Sometimes you need to stand up for yourself, or a teammate, even when everyone's saying you should just shut up. When Joey Bats sees that something is wrong, he points it out, and he doesn't let anyone sweep it under the rug. When an asshat of a radio sports commentator implied that baseball players in general and Dominicans in particular weren't smart, Bautista responded to him on Twitter in a manner that actually seemed fairly calm (judging solely by the lack of caps lock and exclamation points).

Dear Mr. @ESPN_Colin before i rip you a new one i would like for you to explain what u meant to say about baseball and dominicans, please

— Jose Bautista (@JoeyBats19) July 23, 2015

Who among us wouldn't have let loose a few curse words at a guy insinuating our entire country is lacking in intelligence? Remarkable restraint, and for a man reputed to be a 'hothead', no less. He even included the sarcastic 'please' at the end.

Another thing would be knowing his 'limits'. I would like to say the man HAS no limits (certainly the field has no limits as far as his bat is concerned) but there was that one time he got pissed off at the Orioles and overthrew on a play, and hurt his arm. Apparently it got to the point where he couldn't raise his arm to comb his hair, and this led to him having to DH for a while, which in turn led to the circus that was our outfield. But we'll forgive him for that, Because he's Bautista. And his rage was justified. At least it didn't hurt the team much in the long run. 

Why I love him: Because of all the things he's good at! He mashes, he catches, he dances, he bat-flips, and he speaks up about things that no one else will. Really just a badass in general. And he has a soft spot for kids, and a sense of humour, as evidenced by his goofy selfies on his Instagram and his frequent use of the 'crying from laughter' emoji.

He also follows pretty much everyone in Canada on Twitter (including both of my accounts, teehee), which has become somewhat of a running joke in the Blue Jays Twitterverse. Also a running joke? The Bautista quote 'Who are you and why are you talking to me?', which came about in response to a reporter claiming to know what Jose was thinking last year at the trade deadline. He's the stuff of legends, a giant brushing an inconsequential fly off his shoulder. A fly that didn't need to be addressed, to begin with, but for some reason I have this mental image of him sitting behind his computer after crafting these cool-toned takedowns and just giggling.

I love how he can go from intense and focused, to exuberantly proud (of himself or a teammate) to calm and calculating and back again in a second. Even when he appears to be at his most relaxed, you can always tell he's thinking, observing and strategizing. No one can tell you he isn't smart. Sometimes the smartest people are the ones who don't feel the need to inform everyone of just how smart they are. There's something in his eyes that gives it away. That, and a slight sense of mischief.

"I'm gonna hit a home run against them later."

As for the thing about him being a hothead - many people have pointed out this might be a little bit of a racist criticism, especially since Josh Donaldson has done similar stuff (and worse) and been called much fewer names over it. That may be true. My dad also pointed out that Jose has had a temper with unfair calls and such for several years, and maybe people are just getting tired of it. But even compared to the stories of past seasons, he's seemed to have cooled off a fair bit as of late. The only times I've seen him really lose his temper was on a lousy strike call. And you can say here that he's disrespecting the umpires, or whatever. But he's one of the best judges of strikes and balls in the league. As Arden Zwelling once famously said - "When Jose Bautista says the pitch is a ball, its a f***ing ball." He has an amazing eye.  He gets mad because he wants to be given a fair chance, and if the umpire were judging the game accurately, there'd be no need for him to be angry. Bryce Harper is another player noted for doing this - but no one, save for Gregg Zaun, seems to think he's hot-headed.
Baiting, especially from the other team, is met with cool indifference (like "I could care less what Adam Jones is saying."). Or this lovely gesture, also directed at the O's:

"Don't talk to me." A wave of dismissal more suited to an Elizabethan lady. That's how above all of this Jose is. Considering all the grief that team has given him, all the near-misses he's suffered at the hands of their pitchers, he could have a lot more to say to them at that moment. But he refuses to sink to their level, and that makes me really proud.
He also chose not to berate an ignorant Jays fan who interfered with a fair ball (unlike the Yankees' Mark Teixiera, who fell into the stands trying to catch a foul one later that same week). He gave said fan an icy glare, but didn't say anything. It was a look that could kill, for sure, but wouldn't a hothead likely choose to engage in a screaming match?

He's a leader, and I really mean this, despite him becoming kind of overlooked in that role in the 2015 season. There was that time he wouldn't let starting pitcher Matt Boyd (making his big-league debut) get his own water after his first inning.

There was that other time he chose to sit out the glory and excitement of the All-Star Game & Home Run Derby because he was afraid it would cause further injury to his irritated arm, and end up costing his team later on. He put the success of the team before personal recognition, even though it was the first time he missed the ASG in 6 consecutive seasons.

There was another time when he stood up for teammate Devon Travis when he felt the rookie was being taken advantage of - read about Suitgate over here

And then there were the countless times this year I've noticed him be the first one to step between an angry teammate and an umpire/opposing player, try to calm the other guy down, and avoid an argument or, even worse, an ejection. More often than not, this teammate is Josh Donaldson, and while I'm definitely not saying Donaldson is wrong to be angry, he does the team more good in the lineup than in the clubhouse, and Jose knows this. Which is probably why he steps in, having been there numerous times himself. The point can also be made that since he bats third to Donaldson's second, he just so happens to be the nearest person since he's on-deck at the time. But he could just as easily stay put and wait for Gibby to do something about it. Attempting to de-escalate a situation like that goes a long way in terms of showing leadership. As much as I can enjoy the drama created by a mid-game argument, I love the guys who keep the peace even more. And for that, he earns my respect.

2015 Season Highlights: Well, he's hit a lot of home runs. Including the 250th of his career, as well as his 200th as a Blue Jay. He and Josh Donaldson also are tied for first on the list of MLB teammates who homer in the same game (7 times as of August 12th). He slid comfortably into second place on the list of all-time home runs as a Jay, prompting legend Vernon Wells to tweet this, when Bautista tied him:

Joined now by @JoeyBats19 on the @BlueJays HR list. Welcome bud! Pass me tomorrow! #GoJaysGo

— Vernon Wells (@VernonWells10) July 22, 2015

Have I mentioned he hits a lot of homers? One (or two, or four) of the most enjoyable ones were when he glared down the Orioles, or the time he hit a homer and yelled 'f*** yeah, bitch' in slow-motion at the Orioles bench as he ran to first, or hit one against the Royals in that game where they rattled JD so much with beanballs that he couldn't hit one himself. And then there was the one where he hit one in extra innings in New York to end a 1-1 10-inning game. (Also happened to be the first Jay since Gregg Zaun to do so against the Yankees. Pretty cool.) 

Then, on September 22nd against the Yankees, after struggling with his arm all season, he unleashed not one, but TWO cannon-like throws which nailed out the runners and kept the Jays in the game. They ended up losing in extra innings, but after this magnificent display we all kind of looked at each other and knew - he was back.

Off-field antics: Well, I mean. There's all the dugout dancing. It was started by Jose Reyes, I'm sure, but Bautista joined in wholeheartedly.

There's also this, which is about a year old, but is definitely one of the cutest, most good-natured things I've ever seen happen in a pre-game warmup.

(Side note: Isn't Orbit seriously the best mascot in all of baseball?!!)

And Joey Bats, the Barcelona FC superfan, once traded his batting practice shirt to a Jays fan for his Messi jersey - even though said jersey was much too small. Legend.

He's not without his problems, but he's one of the most prolific and consistently amazing players the Blue Jays have ever had. I for one was astonished he didn't make the Franchise Four, because god knows I voted for him! He's set all kinds of records and contributed to all kinds of wins. There is no modern-day Blue Jays without our Joey Bats.

[All GIFs were made by the Blue Jay Hunter]