Wait, how many games did Jose Bautista play for the Mets in 2018?

Jose Bautista was one of the most prolific power hitters from 2010-2015. All of the damage was done as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. On the downside of his career, Bautista found himself designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves and on the 2018 New York Mets roster.

Things ended with Bautista on August 28, 2018 when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was actually the second time the team traded Bautista who was once a prospect of theirs. Mets fans probably remember he made a pit stop with the team in 2018. How many remember he played in more than half of the team’s games that year?

How the heck did Jose Bautista play in 83 Mets games in 2018?

After only a dozen games with the Braves in 2018, Bautista was released and signed by the Mets on May 22. Realizing the date of arrival and departure, we can conclude that it was very possible for Bautista to play in more than half of the Mets games in 2018. Who remembers it, though?

The 2018 season was my first with Rising Apple and yet it is the largest blur of any year. Maybe only the short 60 games in 2020 have been more forgotten. This was a season highlighted by the dominance of Jacob deGrom on the mound on the quest for his first Cy Young. Bautista’s stay has gone mostly forgotten.

Not so surprising are the results. In 302 trips to the plate, Bautista slashed .204/.351/.367 with 9 home runs and 37 RBI. He played a lot of right field, some left field, and even made 9 starts at third base. Bautista even found himself for an inning as the team’s second baseman. This happened in a 2-0 loss to the Braves on June 13 after he pinch hit for Luis Guillorme in the eighth inning only to strike out. As one could guess by the score, this was a deGrom start and his second loss of the year despite allowing only one run in 7 innings of work.

Every year seems to have at least one former star play a handful of games with the Mets. Bautista managed to grab more than that. Five years later, he is probably the most significant player to appear in more than half of the team’s games and almost all of them to have been forgotten.