Time to start worrying about Bautista?

[EventHorizon]

Unfortunately his problems look very serious. When Vernon Wells broke down like that, he never recovered.

[Randle McMurphy]

Unfortunately his problems look very serious. When Vernon Wells broke down like that, he never recovered.

Vernon Wells had a very good offensive season just two years ago for the Jays. It's what allowed them to make that trade.

[Drake_02]

I'm pretty damn worried. But at least were winning.

[Michael Bradley]

I think as Bautista ages he is going to have a Carlos Pena type of regression, meaning he will still draw walks and hit 30-40 home runs, but his batting average will drop. I expected that type of regression last season but he actually improved on his 2010 campaign. Regardless, I am not worried yet. If this was June or July and he was still hitting in the .170 range, then yes, I would join the group, but I think this is something that (hopefully) can be fixed. Where's Cito when you need him?

[paranoid_android]

I think it'll be time to start worrying about Bautista when Bautisa stops worrying about Bautista. He'll figure himself out, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[flatjacket1]

Unfortunately his problems look very serious. When Vernon Wells broke down like that, he never recovered.

Vernon Wells had a very good offensive season just two years ago for the Jays. It's what allowed them to make that trade.

Actually, Wells hit .273/.331/.515 in the CF position around 5 months before he was traded.

The biggest misconception about Wells was that at the time of the extension he wasn't worth the money. People were debating if he took a discount and the only major baseball site that didn't like the extension was Fangraphs (the same site that doesn't like the Fielder signing. Hmmm.)

The first part relates to your post, the second part was just random information.

[tsherkin]

The biggest misconception about Wells was that at the time of the extension he wasn't worth the money. People were debating if he took a discount and the only major baseball site that didn't like the extension was Fangraphs (the same site that doesn't like the Fielder signing. Hmmm.)

He signed the extension after the 06 season. He promptly posted OPS+ values of 85, 123 (85-game season), 86 and 125 for us. Then 83 in his first year with the Angels. He's at 77 so far this year.

Now, that's a rudimentary look at his output, but he's been wildly inconsistent and has had three seasons under .800 OPS since signing that extension. Given his concurrent decline as a defender, I'm not really sure how one would make the argument that he earned that extension or that at the time of the trade, he was worth the money. He's had a couple of nice seasons offensively, but he has not ever posted consecutive seasons of 105+ OPS+. Ever. 105 and 104, he did once, but every season he's had 105 or better, he's followed up with a season that was worse, and he's fallen off HARD every time he's had one of those little outburst seasons he has now and again. 132, 105. 129, 85. 123, 86. 125, 83.

I dunno, man; he shouldn't have been offered the extension in the first place and hasn't been consistent enough to have deserved it.