2012 American League All Star Selection: Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista
Toronto Blue Jays’ outfielder Jose Bautista is very happy with his selection for the upcoming All Star Game in Kansas City on Tuesday, July 10. Bautista has been carrying his team on his back for the last few weeks.
One year after he accumulated record votes in baseball’s All Star balloting, Bautista secured his third straight entry into the Midseason Classic. According to sources, he finished third on the list behind Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton and New York Yankees’
Curtis Granderson.
Bautista has looked in terrific form since the start of 2012 season. He finished the first half of season with an impressive .244 average with 27 home-runs and 65 RBI’s. His OBP of .360 is also amongst the top five in the American League.
In an interview with a leading sports website, Bautista stated that he is thankful to his fans all across the North America and Caribbean. It will be interesting to see if the 31-year-old can live up to the expectations to cheer up his fans.
“I think Edwin is also very deserving,” Jays’ manager John Farrell said. “During the first six weeks, he was our guy. Then, when Jose got hot and Edwin, they might be the top hitting duo in baseball.”
“It’s fun, and it’s definitely something I want to do,” said Bautista,
However, Bautista is disappointed at the exclusion of Edwin Encarnacion, who played a key role in many Blue Jays’ victories in May and June. Playing the DH role, Encarnacion has hit 23 home-runs with 58 RBI’s in 83 games this season. He was outpolled by
David Ortiz in fan voting, according to the stats released on Sunday.
“There’s always different events that can happen,” Bautista said in an interview. “(Edwin) put the team on his back when I wasn’t doing well. To have his RBIs, average and home runs, it’s a disappointment he wasn’t included.”
Bautista is convinced that his team-mate deserved a place in the American League All Star team. However, he was hopeful that the door could be opened for Encarnacion, referring to a potential injury. The fans will be looking forward to seeing the hard hitting
Bautista on the field during the All-Star Game.
Tags: