Jose Bautista: Ranking the Slugger Among AL East Right Fielders
The AL East will see Nick Markakis (Baltimore), Cody Ross (Boston), Nick Swisher (New York), Matt Joyce (Tampa Bay) and Jose Bautista take to right field for their respective clubs this season.
Here, we will measure the value of each starting right fielder to see which squads shall enter the 2012 campaign with a positional advantage over their divisional rivals.
The Blue Jays representative, Bautista, is widely regarded as one of the top offensive players in the game, and will look to lead the Jays to the postseason in 2012.
5. Cody Ross, Boston Red Sox
1 of 5Though Ross is only two years removed from back-to-back 20-home run seasons, he has failed to eclipse the 14 mark in each of his last two tries.
Last season Ross hit .240, 21 points lower than his career .261 average. His slugging percentage was .405, 51 points lower than his career .456 mark.
Ross may rebound from his underwhelming 2011 season this year. He is a right-handed batter and could rack up a few doubles by denting the Monster at Fenway in 2012.
Even if this proves to be the case, Ross is not on the same level as the division's other right fielders. He enters the 2012 campaign as the least viable right fielder in the AL East.
4. Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles
2 of 5A once-hyped prospect, Markakis' star has fizzled out over the last few seasons as he has settled comfortably into the good-but-not-great category of player.
In fact, Markakis is the president of of that group. At least the offensive branch.
The Oriole had a decent .284 AVG, a solid .351 OBP and a mediocre .406 SLG, in 2011. He stole a respectable 12 bases, hit a standard 15 home runs and cashed in a blase 73 RBI.
The one area that Markakis exceeds expectations in on defense. He won a Gold Glove in 2011 for going the entire season without committing an error.
With decent offense and terrific defense, Markakis is a good option in right field, but falls short of the AL East's podium heading into the 2012 campaign.
3. Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays
3 of 5Positioning Joyce ahead of Markakis is done with the slightest bit of margin in mind. He gets the ever so slight nod because of upside.
At 27-years-of-age, Joyce can hardly be considered an up-and-comer, but 2011 was his first full big league season, which he will look to build off moving forward.
Joyce hit .277, posted a .347 OBP and slugged .478 last year. He also notched 19 round-trippers and swiped 13 bases while only being caught one time.
Joyce's defense is inferior to Markakis', but it is still solid. If 2012 proves to be a step in the right direction for the Florida native, Tampa Bay may have themselves one of the most well-rounded right fielders in the American League.
For now, Joyce comes in as the division's third-best right fielder.
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2. Nick Swisher, New York Yankees
4 of 5Swisher is perennially underrated because he lacks the star power of many of his teammates.
The Yankee has topped the 20-home run plateau in each of his first seven full MLB seasons. His career average of .254 is nothing to write home about, but he knows how to get on base: Swisher boasts a career OBP of .360, and put up a .374 marker last year.
Swisher is a lock for 80 RBI every year and plays a decent right field.
In many division's he would top this list, but fails to do so in the AL East because of a certain division rival that has made his mark north of the border.
1. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
5 of 5The AL East is home to a handful terrific right fielders. Swisher, Joyce and Markakis would be welcome on most any team. That said, the gap between Bautista and and the field is immense.
After exploding in 2010, Bautista silenced critics that labeled him a one-year-wonder by putting in an all-around better 2011.
His home run total dropped from 54 to 43 over the past two years, but his average shot up 42 ticks in that same time frame. His OBP jumped from .378 to a whopping .447, and his SLG has remained consistent between 2010 and 2011.
With Brett Lawrie manning third in Toronto this year, Bautista will play right field exclusively. His defense last year was good, but should be better in 2012 as he becomes more familiar with the nuances of the position.
Heading into the 2012 MLB season, Bautista is the best right fielder in the AL East. By far.
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Still to come:
Blue Jays: Ranking Edwin Encarnacion Among AL East DHs
Blue Jays: Ranking the Starting Five Among AL East Rotations
Blue Jays: Ranking Sergio Santos Among AL East Closers
Blue Jays: Ranking the Bullpen Among AL East Bullpens
Blue Jays: Ranking the Bench Among AL East Benches
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