It's been a little over a year since the 50-51 Toronto Blue Jays began an improbable hot streak which resulted in their first playoff appearance since they won the World Series in 1993. The good times have continued to roll in 2016 and the Jays seem primed for another pennant race over the final two months of the season.

One of the most intriguing characters over the past year has been Jose Bautista. From his bat flip in Game 5 to his contract demands in spring training to his injury troubles this season, Bautista has been a major storyline for Toronto. Let's take a look back at the past year for one of baseball's most polarizing players.

 

Major Factor in Jays' 43-18 Run Down The Stretch

The Jays picked up David PriceTroy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere before the Trade Deadline, all of which helped the Jays immensely during their hot streak. Not to mention the likes of Josh DonaldsonEdwin Encarnacion, Marco EstradaMarcus Stroman and, of course, Joey Bats.

Over the final two months, Bautista hit .283 with 19 home runs and 46 RBIs in 56 games. They weren't the best individual stats over the that stretch on the team, but he definitely contributed greatly to their success.

 

The Bat Flip

Embedded Image

It was a moment that you'll always remember where you were when it happened.

Bautista's dramatic bat flip following a seventh inning home run against the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the ALDS will go down as one of the most memorable moments and lasting images in Blue Jays' history. The Blue Jays, let alone the City of Toronto, hadn't had a sports moment like that in years and it was all thanks to Bautista, one of the longest tenured Jays and the face of the franchise. 

People loved the flip north of the border, but there were plenty who thought it was disrespectful, namely Sam Dyson, the Rangers' pitcher who allowed the home run.

"He's a huge role model for the younger generation that's coming up and playing this game," Dyson said of Bautista after the game. "He's doing stuff that kids do in whiffle ball games and backyard baseball. It shouldn't be done."

Bautista responded to Dyson's comments following Game 5 in a way that has made him one of the most polarizing players in the game.

twitter embed

Hall of Famer Goose Gossage didn't hold back his opinion on Bautista either. 

"Bautista is a f---ing disgrace to the game," Gossage told ESPN in March. "He's embarrassing to all the Latin players, whoever played before him. Throwing his bat and acting like a fool, like all those guys in Toronto. [Yoenis] Cespedes, same thing."

After the bat flip incident, there wasn't much middle ground when it came to Bautista. Either you love him or you hate him.

His clutch homers didn't stop there though. In Game 6 of the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals, Bautista tied the game in the eighth with a two-run shot, his second of the game. No bat flip this time. The Jays would go on to lose the game and the series, but not because of a lack of productivity from Bautista. 

The 2015 season was one of the most memorable in franchise history, and Bautista starred in the shining moment.

 

Spring Training Contract Demands

Embedded Image

The major storyline heading into the Jays' 2016 spring training were the contract situations of Bautista and fellow slugger Encarnacion. Both are still slated to become free agents at season's end. 

The 35-year-old Bautista wasted no time stirring the pot. 

"I don't think there should be any negotiations. I think I've proved myself, and the question has been asked — what will it take — and I've given them an answer," Bautista told the media on the first day of spring training. "I'm not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars."

Bautista, who signed a five-year, $65 million contract back in 2011, went on to say he does not believe in the term "hometown discount."

"That doesn't exist. Not in my world," Bautista explained. "In my eyes, I've given this organization a five-year hometown discount already."

According to TSN Senior Correspondent Rick Westhead, Bautista was asking for at least $150 million over five years. 

 

The Punch

Embedded Image

The Rangers and Jays played each other in a four-game series at the Rogers Centre in early May for the first time since last October's ALDS.

Many thought the Rangers would use this series to get their revenge on Bautista. Not the case. Toronto won all four games and never came close to throwing down with their Texas counterparts. Even when Bautista came to plate late in a blow out during the final game of the series, the Rangers decided not to start anything. 

They were waiting until they got home.   

Just over a week later the Jays were in Texas for a weekend set when all hell broke loose. In the finale, Bautista came to the plate in the eighth inning and got beaned by Rangers rookie Matt Bush. Moments later, Bautista slid hard (maybe a little too hard) into second base in an attempt to break up a double play.  Rougned Odor didn't like that and connected with one of the cleanest punches in MLB history. 

"I was pretty surprised," Bautista said after the game. "I mean, obviously, that's the only reason that he got me and he got me pretty good, so I have to give him that. It takes a little bit bigger man to knock me down."  

This was sweet satisfaction for many Bautista haters as they felt he had it coming ever since the bat flip incident. 

Odor was suspended eight games for his actions while Bautista got one. 

Texas and Toronto won't play each other this season unless they meet in the postseason.

 

Struggles at the Plate and Injury

Embedded Image

Bautista’s eventful season have somewhat masked his underwhelming season at the plate. Through his first 235 plate appearances, Bautista hit just .230 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. The .230 batting average is his lowest with the Blue Jays since his first year in Toronto, 2007, when he played in just 21 games after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates midseason. And his power numbers are down over the last two years even projected over the course of a full season.

His 48 walks were among the league leaders’ when he was placed on the disabled list for the first time.

Bautista was sent there midway through June with a freak toe injury. The right fielder sprained his big left toe chasing down a fly ball in Philadelphia, when he caught it in a fence latch on the outfield wall.

"I could've stepped one inch shorter of the wall, one inch closer to the wall, and none of this would've happened," Bautista told reporters after the injury. "It's just a little bit of bad luck."

The injury forced Bautista into a walking boot and kept him out of action until mid-July when he played one game with the Dunedin Blue Jays in High-A and spent a weekend with the Buffalo Bisons in Triple-A.

 

Return to Action and Return to DL 

Embedded Image

After missing 30 games with the injury, Bautista returned to the Jays lineup - which had been one of the hottest in all of baseball in his absence - on July 25th against the San Diego Padres. He got a hit in his first game back, but would pick up just two more the rest of the month as he needed time to knock off the rust after sitting out for so long. Bautista began to find his groove as the calendar flipped to August, but then the injury bug struck again. On Aug. 9, the outfielder sprained his left knee as he threw a ball back to the infield. He stayed in the game, but an MRI would later reveal some bad news. 

"My cleat got caught in the turf, knee got a little jerked there and I landed on it too," Bautista explained to reporters. "I can't really tell if (it happened) when my cleat got caught or when I landed on it, but it's a sprained knee nonetheless and I'm on the DL."

Just as he was starting to become his old self once again, the slugger was forced to the sidelines once again as we enter a critical part of the season. Bautista did seem hopeful he would return in a couple weeks, but was visibly disappointed. 

"It's extremely frustrating, especially after an off-season that a lot of hard work went into, just getting my body ready and hopefully avoiding these type of situations and then having it happen on two freak accidents, it's pretty disappointing," he said.

Bautista hit .179 with three homers and seven RBIs over 15 games in his short return.

 

Plenty of Question About the Future?

It's safe to say Bautista will not get the money he was asking for during spring training. The down year plus injuries has made 2016 a trying season for the Dominican. A future in Toronto looks murky at best for the soon to be free-agent. 

TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips had some interesting things to say while on Naylor & Landsberg recently.

“I would have interest," said Phillips, a former general manager, on whether he'd go after Bautista in free agency. "I would say two-years with a vesting option that if stays healthy, probably at, I’d say in the range of $13 million a year.”

Phillips went on to say he might of been able to get $60 million over three years if he was willing to negotiate a little more in spring training.

So when Bautista makes his return from the DL (assuming he doesn't need more time), we could very well be in the last few months of Bautista's memorable and eventful time in Toronto. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.