Blue Jays' Brett Bateman Showing New Dimension With Back-to-Back Home Runs
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Brett Bateman does not have a reputation as a power hitter. The Blue Jays didn’t even expect it, yet somehow he is changing the narrative almost immediately upon his arrival in MLB.
Someone forgot to tell Bateman he couldn’t hit home runs.
He entered the Friday night series opener against the Baltimore Orioles still looking for the first home run of his career, and honestly, no one really expected it. Less than 24 hours later, the rookie has two homers logged.
The first long ball came with the team taking a 7-4 loss, but Bateman never lost sight of a possible win. It was at the bottom of the ninth inning when Bateman stepped into the box and hit a 403-foot homer to right field, giving the team two runs.
It was too late to earn the Blue Jays a victory, but it certainly was a win for Bateman.
The next one he would hit mattered even more.
Bateman Does It Again Just One Day Later
Back at the top of the lineup, Bateman opened the bottom of the third inning with a home run hit over the right-field wall.
His second Major League homer gave Toronto a 3-0 advantage, and with Alejandro Kirk’s two-run shot later in the game, the Blue Jays took a five-run lead.
This time, Bateman may have sparked the team because they went on to win 7-3 over Baltimore and improved their record to 74-75, staying firmly in the American League Wild Card race.
It’s true, two home runs across a major league career isn’t anything to write home about, but for Bateman, it certainly is. This is a sudden power surge from a guy who isn’t known to be a long-ball hitter.
Toronto should be paying attention.
Gausman Trade Paying Dividends
The Blue Jays acquired Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene from Chicago in exchange for starting pitcher Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline.
Five days later, Toronto selected Bateman’s contract and brought him up to the Major Leagues. He’s not just surviving either; he’s thriving.
Bateman entered Saturday’s game batting .339 with a .402 on-base percentage and an .826 OPS through his first 29 games. He had 40 hits in 118 at-bats.
Bateman was known as a contact hitter, and that explains why Toronto felt comfortable putting him at the top of the card.
They may have gotten a bit of a surprise, though. The power was not expected when they acquired him, but they certainly won’t turn it away.
Now, this should not become the expectation. Bateman isn’t likely to turn into an immediate home-run hitter based on two swings, but it is encouraging.
Toronto traded away an accomplished starting pitcher looking to build for the future. It didn’t take long before the future started looking a lot more like the present.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, and WNBA. Laura covers the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com