New York Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman shows faith in former teammate Jose Bautista’s ability to pitch in the big leagues.
Jose Bautista to the mound? Yes, it’s a desire he’s expressed along with returning to Major League Baseball altogether. And judging by a few recent videos, the longtime ballplayer may not be all talk.
New York Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman recently uploaded footage of Bautista pitching to his personal Twitter account. The two were teammates on the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014-17
Glove-side sinker…??? @PitchingNinja @JoeyBats19 pic.twitter.com/tpxeNs7UVf
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) April 7, 2020
Bautista’s long tenure up North ended after the Blue Jays declined his option for the 2018 season. He’s since played for the Atlanta Braves, Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies, taking part in the small tour through the National League East in 2018.
He didn’t play in MLB during the 2019 campaign, but that doesn’t mean a comeback is impossible. Nonetheless, it’s unclear if any organization would pull the trigger and ask him to pitch for them, even if he does so on a short-term minor league contract.
In his 83-game stint with the Mets in 2018, Bautista hit nine home runs with 37 RBIs and a slash line of .204/.351/.367. New York then traded him to Philly in August of that year, where he only played 27 games before electing to be a free agent at the end of October.
Stroman’s tenure with the Blue Jays ended last July when Toronto shipped him off to Queens in exchange for Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson, a pair of pitching prospects. In 11 starts with the Mets, he posted a 4-2 record with a 3.77 ERA and 1.475 WHIP.
