Early career The
Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Bautista in the 20th round (599th overall) of the
2000 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Pirates for a $500,000 signing bonus. Bautista played for the
Williamsport Crosscutters of the
Class A Short Season New York–Penn League in 2001 and the
Hickory Crawdads of the
Class A South Atlantic League in 2002. In 2003, he played for the
Lynchburg Hillcats of the
Class A-Advanced Carolina League. After the 2003 season, the
Baltimore Orioles selected Bautista in the
Rule 5 draft and carried him on their
Opening Day roster. He made his MLB debut with Baltimore on April 4, 2004. After playing 16 games with the Orioles, the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays claimed him off
waivers on June 3. Twenty-five days later, the
Kansas City Royals purchased him from Tampa Bay after a 12-game stint with the Devil Rays. This series of transactions made him the first player to appear on five different MLB rosters in one season, since matched by
Oliver Drake in 2018. (Drake, however, actually played for all five teams, while Bautista played for four; he never actually suited up or played for the Mets.) Bautista played in 11 games for the Pirates in 2005. In 2006, his first full season in the major leagues, Bautista hit .235 with 16
home runs (HR) and 51
runs batted in (RBI). However, he struggled offensively for most of the year, and after the 2008 trade deadline Bautista lost his starting job to the newly acquired
Andy LaRoche. Bautista was optioned to the
Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on August 13.
Toronto Blue Jays 2008 On August 21, 2008, the Pirates traded Bautista to the Blue Jays for a
player to be named later, who eventually was
Robinzon Díaz. The Blue Jays needed a third baseman due to an injury to
Scott Rolen.
2009 in 2009 Starting the 2009 season on the bench, manager
Cito Gaston assigned Bautista to back up Rolen and outfielders
Alex Ríos and
Adam Lind. Bautista started the season with a .317 batting average, .404
on-base percentage (OBP) and .463
slugging percentage (SLG) in 49 plate appearances in April. However, his numbers fell off, as he batted between .167 and .231 each month from May through August with two total home runs. As the season drew to a close, the Blue Jays made changes to their coaching staff. One was to move first base coach
Dwayne Murphy to replace the retiring
Gene Tenace as hitting coach. Formerly a Blue Jays' minor league roving hitting instructor and hitting coach, Murphy had already spent nearly one year working with Bautista, teaching him to leverage his pull power by starting his swing with his now-familiar high leg kick.
2010 Bautista began the 2010 campaign as the starting right fielder and leadoff hitter. On May 17, he was named
AL Player of the Week after hitting .444 (8-for-18) with 20
total bases, 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 8 runs scored, a .565 OBP, and an MLB-best 1.111 SLG. Bautista hit his 20th home run as part of a two-home run night against the
St. Louis Cardinals on June 22, setting a new career high for a single season in just two months. Bautista was selected as a reserve for the
2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Bautista entered the game as a pinch runner for
Josh Hamilton and finished the game 0-for-1. For the month of July, Bautista batted .347, with 11 home runs, 29 RBI, and an AL-leading .765 slugging percentage, sharing
American League Player of the Month honors with Twins outfielder
Delmon Young. Bautista was also named Blue Jays' Player of the Month, which is selected through voting by the Toronto chapter of the
Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). With his 12 home runs in May and 11 in July, Bautista became the third Blue Jay player in franchise history to have two months with at least 10 home runs. On August 26, Bautista hit his 100th career home run against the
Detroit Tigers. Bautista was again named player of the week for the week ending August 29; in seven games that week, Bautista led the American League with a .500 batting average (10-for-20) and hit four home runs. Bautista became the only Blue Jays player to win the award three times in one season. Bautista won AL Player of the Month for the month of August, in which he hit he led the AL in home runs (12), RBI (24), slugging percentage (.724) and total bases (72), while tying for the lead in extra-base hits (18). He finished tied for second with 23 runs and was third with 23 walks. He also won the Honda Player of the Month Award, his second such award in as many months. On September 17, Bautista set the new Blue Jays single-season home run record with his 48th home run, breaking the record set by
George Bell. On September 23, Bautista became the 26th player in MLB history to reach the
50 home run club in one season, and the first Blue Jays player to do so. His 52nd home run set a new MLB record for the largest single-season increase in home runs, eclipsing
Davey Johnson's 38 home run increase from 1972 to 1973. Bautista finished the 2010 season with an
MLB-leading 54 home runs, the highest total since
Alex Rodriguez hit 54 in 2007. Bautista won the AL
Hank Aaron Award and a
Silver Slugger Award, awards for his offensive performance, and finished fourth in the AL
Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) voting, behind Hamilton,
Miguel Cabrera and
Robinson Canó. The Toronto chapter of the BBWAA named Bautista the
Blue Jays' Most Valuable Player, the Blue Jays' Most Improved Player, and presented him the
John Cerutti Award for displaying "goodwill, cooperation and character".
2011 Bautista agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $64 million before the 2011 season. He began the season as the starting right fielder for the Blue Jays, with
Edwin Encarnación playing third base. Bautista walked 28 times in the month of April, breaking a club record that was set when
Carlos Delgado collected 26 bases on balls in April 2001. Bautista was unanimously selected for the Blue Jays' Player of the Month award, and was also named the AL Player of the Month for the month of April (his third such award in four months, dating back to the 2010 season). On May 15, Bautista hit three home runs against the
Minnesota Twins, the first three-home run game of his career. On May 28, in a home game against the
Chicago White Sox, Bautista hit his 20th home run, a three-run shot to left field, becoming the first player to reach 20 home runs in 2011 as well as the fastest player to reach 20 home runs (44 games) in Blue Jays franchise history. Bautista won the AL Player of the Month award for May, his fourth such award in five months. He also became the first player to have the highest number of home runs in a single month for five consecutive months since
Jimmie Foxx did so from June 1933 to April 1934. Bautista also won the Blue Jays' Player of the Month award for the second consecutive month. On June 23, the Blue Jays shifted Bautista to third base and recalled
Eric Thames to play the outfield. Bautista was selected for the
2011 MLB All-Star Game, receiving a record 7,454,753 votes. At the time of his selection, he led MLB in home runs (26), walks (70), OBP (.471), slugging percentage (.679), OPS (1.150), times on base (160) and was also in second place for runs scored (64), total bases (182) and extra base hits (41). He became the first Blue Jay in history to lead the league in All-Star voting. He was also the first Blue Jay to be voted into the All-Star game as a starter since
Carlos Delgado in 2003. On August 5, with the debut of prospect
Brett Lawrie to play third base, Bautista returned to right field. In a game against the
Oakland Athletics on August 20, Bautista walked three times, which brought his season total to 102 walks in 113 games, the fastest a player reached 100 walks since
Barry Bonds in 2007. During a game against the
New York Yankees on September 5, Bautista hit his 40th home run of the season, a solo homer off reliever
Rafael Soriano. He became the second player in franchise history with back-to-back 40 home run seasons. Two games later on September 7, against the
Boston Red Sox, Bautista stole home plate on a double steal in which Lawrie took second base, becoming the first 40 home run hitter to steal home plate since
Adam Dunn in 2004. After leading the major leagues in home runs for the second consecutive season with 43, Bautista became the first player to do so since
Mark McGwire in 1998 and 1999. Bautista also led the majors in slugging percentage (.608), OPS (1.056) and walks (132) and the AL in
intentional walks (24). He placed second in OBP (.447) while setting a new Blue Jays franchise record, which Delgado previously held with 123, also in 2000. He also set new Blue Jays' single-season records with 8.1 total
Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and 8.3 offensive WAR according to
Baseball Reference, edging
John Olerud's 7.7 total in 1993, and Delgado's 8.1 offensive WAR in 2000. Bautista held the record for total WAR until
Josh Donaldson rated at 8.8 in 2015; however, as of 2015, Bautista still holds the record for offensive WAR. becoming just the third player in the award's history, after Rodriguez and
Barry Bonds, to win the award in back-to-back years. Bautista also received his second consecutive
Silver Slugger Award.
2012 On January 30, 2012, Bautista was announced as the cover athlete for the Canadian edition of
MLB 12: The Show. In an interleague game against the
Milwaukee Brewers on June 19, Bautista hit the second of three straight solo home runs by the Blue Jays, between
Colby Rasmus and
Edwin Encarnación, the first time since 2005 that the Jays went back-to-back-to-back with home runs. Bautista also took over the MLB lead in home runs for 2012, hitting his 25th on June 27 against the
Boston Red Sox, which broke the Blue Jays club record for home runs in a month, with 13. He went on to finish the month with 14 home runs, one short of the American League record for June. Bautista was voted an American League starter in the
All-Star Game for the second consecutive year and his third overall All-Star selection. Hamilton surpassed Bautista's record vote total of the prior year. On July 2, Bautista was named American League Player of the Month for June. It was his fifth time receiving the honor in his career. He batted .274 with 14 home runs and 30 RBI in the month of June. His 14 home runs in June set a new Blue Jays franchise record for home runs in a month. Bautista competed in the
Home Run Derby. At the time of his selection, he led all major league players with 26 home runs. Bautista finished second to
Prince Fielder. Bautista was placed on the 15-day
disabled list on July 17 with inflammation in his wrist. He had started in all previous 90 games, and the Blue Jays called up prospect
Anthony Gose to take his place after the game. In 2012, Bautista batted .241 with 27 home runs and 65 RBI in 92 games. He hit his 200th career home run in a game against the
Boston Red Sox on June 29. On July 6, he was elected to his fourth consecutive
All-Star Game, and his third as the starting right fielder for the
American League. At the time of his selection, he batted .264 with 20 home runs and 52 RBI. In the All-Star Game, he recorded the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning as the AL won 3–0. Playing against the
Oakland Athletics on July 30, Bautista hit his 25th home run of the season. In doing so, he became the fourth player in Blue Jays franchise history to hit at least 25 home runs in four consecutive seasons, joining Bell (1984–1987), Carter (1991–1996), and Delgado (1996–2004). His season ended prematurely for the second consecutive time on September 4, when it was announced that he would be shut down with a left hip bone bruise. Bautista finished 2013 with a .259 batting average, 28 home runs, and 73 RBI.
2014 Bautista opened the 2014 season with a streak of 37 games in which he reached base safely. His streak, the longest to open a season in Blue Jays franchise history, came to an end on May 11, 2014, when he went 0–4. On June 18, he recorded his 1,000 career hit in a game against the
New York Yankees. Bautista was named as the American League Captain for the
2014 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby on June 23. On July 6, it was announced that not only was he elected to his fifth consecutive
All-Star Game, but, for the second time, received the highest number of votes in the Majors, with 5,859,019. On August 10, Bautista ended the longest game in franchise history by hitting an opposite field single to drive in
Munenori Kawasaki in the 19th inning, and gave the Jays the 6–5 win over the
Detroit Tigers. On August 26, Bautista hit his 25th home run of the season, and in doing so, joined Carter and Delgado as the only Blue Jays players in franchise history to hit at least 25 in five or more consecutive seasons. Four days later, Bautista hit his 100th career home run at
Rogers Centre, a two-run shot off Yankees starter
Michael Pineda, and his fourth straight game with a home run which tied a career-high. He would go on to hit a home run on August 31, extending his home run streak to five games and establishing a new career-high. In a home game against the
Chicago Cubs on September 8, Bautista hit his 200th home run as a Blue Jay, joining
George Bell,
Carlos Delgado,
Joe Carter, and
Vernon Wells as the only players with 200 or more home runs in franchise history. Bautista finished 2014 with a .286 batting average, 35 home runs, and 103 RBI. In a home game against the
Baltimore Orioles on April 21, 2015, Bautista hit his 250th career home run. He injured his right shoulder during that game, attempting to throw out
Delmon Young at first base. He was held out of the lineup for several days before returning, exclusively as the designated hitter. Bautista received a cortisone shot on May 24 and returned to the outfield on June 2, against the
Washington Nationals. On July 6, Bautista was named to his sixth-consecutive
All-Star team, as a reserve outfielder at
Great American Ball Park in
Cincinnati. However, on July 11, it was announced that he would sit out the game due to a shoulder injury. Bautista tied
Vernon Wells for second place on the Blue Jays' all-time home run list on July 21, when he hit his 223rd home run for Toronto in a 7–1 win over the
Oakland Athletics. He surpassed Wells on July 24 in a 5–2 loss to the
Seattle Mariners. On September 30, Bautista surpassed the 40 home run mark for the third time in his career, hitting a solo shot in the 9th inning against the Orioles to extend the Blue Jays lead to 11–1. The Blue Jays would win the game, 15–2, and clinch the
American League East. Bautista finished the 2015 regular season with a .250 batting average, 40 home runs, and 114 RBI. From 2010 to 2015, he batted .268 with 153 doubles, 227 home runs, 582 RBI, 574 walks, 576 strikeouts, .390 OBP, .555 SLG, .945 OPS, and 156 OPS+. was second in slugging percentage and walks, third in OPS and OPS+, and fifth in OBP. On October 8, 2015, with just over 1,400 career games played, Bautista made his postseason debut against the
Texas Rangers in the
American League Division Series (ALDS). In the 5th and final game of the series on October 14, Bautista hit a three-run home run off
Sam Dyson that gave the Jays a 6–3 lead that they would not relinquish, sending Toronto to the
American League Championship Series (ALCS). Bautista watched the home run and
flipped his bat high into the air before running the bases, a celebratory gesture that was applauded by Blue Jays fans and media outlets, while drawing the ire of Rangers players as unsportsmanlike, in the midst of a 53-minute 7th inning laden with controversy. A vital symbol of Toronto's first
postseason appearance since 1993, the bat flip was voted
Esurance's MLB Award for Best Play on Offense for 2015. In the five games of the ALDS, Bautista batted .273 with two home runs and five RBI. In Game 6, Bautista hit two home runs, including a two-run game-tying homer at the top of the 8th inning to tie the game at 3–3; however the Royals would win 4–3 to take the
pennant. On November 3, 2015, Toronto exercised Bautista's $14 million option for 2016.
2016 During his final regular season plate appearance against the
Texas Rangers on May 15, 2016, Bautista was hit by a pitch from
Matt Bush, which many believed to be retaliation by the Rangers organization for Bautista's
bat flip in the 2015 ALDS. Two batters later, Bautista, intending to break-up a double play, made a hard slide into second baseman
Rougned Odor. Although the slide did not make any contact, Odor pushed Bautista, who shoved back, followed by Odor punching Bautista in the jaw. This ignited a
bench-clearing brawl. Bautista was handed a one-game suspension by the league for his part in the melee, which he appealed. On May 27, MLB announced that they had upheld the suspension. During the day of his suspension, Bautista served as the public address announcer at
Rogers Centre. On June 17, he was placed on the 15-day
disabled list due to an injury to his left big toe. He returned from the DL near the end of July. On August 2, Bautista hit his 300th career home run, a solo shot off
Houston Astros starter
Lance McCullers Jr. He would finish the season batting .234 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI in 116 games, helping the Blue Jays to a second consecutive appearance in the ALCS. which he declined on November 14.
2017 in 2017 On January 18, 2017, Bautista signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding arbitration. The contract included a $17 million mutual option for the 2018 season, as well as a $20 million vesting option for 2019. On August 11, Bautista reached the 20 home run mark for the eighth consecutive season. Bautista ended the year batting .203 with 23 home runs and 65 RBI in 157 games. The Blue Jays declined Bautista's option for 2018 on November 4, 2017, marking the end of his tenure in Toronto.
Atlanta Braves On April 18, 2018, Bautista signed a minor league contract with the
Atlanta Braves. After playing a few games for the
Gwinnett Stripers, the Braves promoted Bautista to start at third base for the first of a three-game series against the
San Francisco Giants on May 4. On May 12, 2018, Bautista hit his first home run with the Braves. Bautista batted .143 with two home runs and five RBIs in 35 at bats over 12 games played before being released by the Braves on May 20.
New York Mets On May 22, 2018, Bautista signed a one-year contract with the
New York Mets. On June 22, he hit his first home run as a Met against the
Los Angeles Dodgers, making it his third of the season (his previous two being with the Braves). On July 6, Bautista hit a
walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning against the
Tampa Bay Rays, the first walk-off home run of his career. In 83 games for the Mets, he batted .204 with 9 home runs, 37 RBI, and a .351 OBP. He batted .244 with two home runs and 6 RBI in 27 games with the Phillies, and posted a .404 OBP and .870 OPS. Bautista elected free agency on October 29.
Post–2018 In November 2019, Bautista expressed desire to continue his career after taking the 2019 season off. In March 2020, reports surfaced he was hoping to return as a
two-way player. He had joined former Blue Jays teammate
Marcus Stroman, a starting pitcher to workout with during the offseason. Bautista began following Stroman's training regime and which eventually led to a few social media videos posted by him, showing Bautista pitching and Stroman sharing the opinion that he could "easily" pitch out of a Major League bullpen. Several reports followed suggesting he was eying a return to MLB as a pitcher, who could also provide at bats from another position or as a DH, but Bautista quashed the rumour quickly. "Just to kind of clear the record, I've never stated that it was my plan or desire to make it to the big leagues as a big-league pitcher," he told
MLB Network Radio. He did, however, leave the door open to an opportunity to pitch should it arise.
Retirement In March 2023, the Blue Jays announced that Bautista would be inducted onto their
Level of Excellence on August 12, 2023, in ceremony prior to their game versus the
Chicago Cubs. The day before the ceremony, Bautista signed a one-day contract with the team and formally announced that he will retire as a Blue Jay. ==Post-playing career==