OverDrive - Bautista on the Blue Jays' winning stretch, the importance of culture and the memories of his tenure

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

Former Toronto Blue Jays Outfielder Jose Bautista joined OverDrive to discuss his viewpoint of the Blue Jays' overall roster, the team's impressive winning streak, the importance of culture in the locker room, the manager's messaging to a group, the prowess of home run hitting, the meaning of the iconic bat flip and more.

Unmistakably Canadian. It's the music that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Bryan Adams. Hey, my name's Brett Emmons. I'm from the Glorious Sons. Hi, I'm Nellie Furtado. Made in Canada.

The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required. Just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeartRadio app. Joining us in the Maple Toyota Hotline is Jose Batista. Joey Batts. Jose, how are you?

Hello gentlemen, I'm doing great. How about yourself? Good, good. So just before we launch into all the questions about now and then, first of all, congratulations on your entrance into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and it's only been a month how do you feel about that? Thank you very much yeah I feel great you know it was a really exciting week you know we were busy but we certainly enjoyed it and going through all the celebration all the activities and and the induction ceremony on Saturday in St. Mary's, lovely little town

I got to go to for the first time. And just walking around the hall, seeing all the plaques and knowing that my name and my plaque is gonna be in that room with all the greats. It is a great feeling. Makes you kinda look back and look at your impact within baseball to the Blue Jays to the country and a great feeling overall so I'm very humbled and very

happy. Jose we kind of started the show by talking about how you know inspired the Blue Jays the way they've been playing you know they're inspiring the the fan base to think that this could be a year where they might be able to compete and it's very reminiscent to the year that you guys had back in 2015 and I'm just curious like at what point in that season did you realize hey this this could be a special year for us? Well 15 was a little different because we didn't really get going up until the dead after the deadline when we we got David Price and a few other guys, we were kind of hovering at 500 and then just caught fire.

So these guys are playing better earlier. So for us, it was that moment after I think we won 11 in a row right after the deadline and then we did it again down the stretch. So I can't pinpoint the date, but it was shortly after the deadline where we felt pretty good about our team. Up to then, we were just doing okay, and then that shot in the arm at the deadline just kind of put us over the hump.

But these guys, these guys have caught fire at the right time. There's a lot of people stepping up. The usual suspects doing what they do. George Springer being, getting back to who he really is. The pitching staff is, is definitely, um, showing up every single night, giving them a chance and you know, Vladimir and both, um, also leading the charge.

So it's good to see some of the, some of the guys like, like barger and others that may not have a household name just yet, but they're stepping up and making incredible contributions. And that's what it takes, right? Everybody coming together and putting in a great effort and next man up every night, making something happen, trying to get that win, and they're doing a pretty good job and it's fun to watch. Jose, thinking back to the great teams you guys had in 2015 and 2016, there was a lot

of talk that one of the strengths of those teams was the chemistry and the fact that it made you more than the sum of your parts, even though the parts were impressive on their own. There's been talk within this dugout, you hear George Springer talking about this team, like they're a bunch of brothers, and there's such a good feeling around the team right now. Can you speak to the importance of that and how you build it and how you keep it?

And I think that takes a few years and this group has been together for a few years. So maybe they're in that stage in the maturity as a group that they know each other well, they know their strengths, their weaknesses, they know when somebody's got it all in the tank that day and when somebody doesn't, then they help each other out and they're there to support each other. Not only in baseball, within the Lions, but also as people in that locker room and in

life, how to handle the emotion in your families and their days of life. I'm sure that has a little bit to do with it, but winning also helps and winning kind of brings people together. And then, you know, you start having fun and you create that unity. And that's when it can snowball in the right direction. And it seems like they're right at the beginning of that. So yeah, good to see. Let's continue on that track. I mean, baseball is so methodical, drawn out 162 games, what six weeks of preseason

ball and you know what you described there is it's a slow transition into where the chemistry shows up. So when it does show up are you aware of that right away? Um I can't say that you're necessarily aware, but you definitely feel when, you know, competing becomes a little easier. There's not that underlying panic where somebody doesn't get anything done, the next guy's got to do double. And I kind of get that vibe from this group. Like right now, the way they're playing is you don't have anybody putting extra pressure

on themselves and try to hit a three-run homer with nobody on base, that kind of deal. So yeah, everybody's just going up, assessing situation and just doing something positive. Even when they don't get a hit, maybe there's a ground ball or they run a high chopper out or they move a runner over or they get an RBI with a pop-up or a ground ball up the middle. That's what it seems like to me from the outside looking in. And that's when you're playing fun baseball because you don't have the feeling that you need to string along three and four hits in a row just to get one run across across the plate so uh... it looks look like they're there are

they're firing on cylinders and it looked easy for them we're also having discussion earlier about john schnider and what he's been able to do and you know you you you have one of the or the grades with you obviously everyone loves john gibbons but you know it gave it was known as a pretty good communicator back the day players coach you know john schnider trying to you know learn that maybe he's he's a bit of a hybrid guy we're talking about baby

the importance of a line of communication from front office to the coach uh... the manager you know to the players and and maybe the leadership group being a part of relaying that message do you need to speak to the importance of communication from manager to the leadership group and how that can benefit a ball club?

It certainly can because it's not a... Well, and every team is different. So I'll start by saying that and not necessarily the things that applied to us when I was playing there will apply to these guys. But generally speaking in a clubhouse at the Major League level, my experience tells me is that it's not a great dynamic when the manager needs to step into the clubhouse and call for a meeting every time he needs to communicate anything.

It's good when the players and the coach or manager know each other well enough that there's a lot of unspoken things that get understood. But it's also good that there's a relationship directly between the manager's office and a few of the team leaders, the players, that it takes two minutes to get a point across and then, like you said, that message gets relayed to the rest of the group. Because the players need their space, need their freedom.

They don't dislike coaches, but it's not good for the vibe to have the coach sitting in the locker room every single day. You know what I mean? So I don't know, maybe they have figured that part out. I really can't comment on that cuz I'm not there, so I have no clue. But you guys will know more than me because you guys are closer to it. Jose you obviously were a great home run hitter you led the big leagues in in homers a couple of you of your best years. I'm interested in your observations

of the home run hitting or lack thereof from Vlad E. Groward Jr. this year. I mean he's hitting the ball hard we all know that you know the exit velocity is there is getting on base uh... an awful lot you leaving the team in walks please he's only got twelve home runs which which probably is a little below expectation for him when you look at him at the plate what do you see on that front i think you're doing great for the most part he's doing his job hitting the ball

hard getting runs Driven in To be quite frank across the board throughout the team. I don't see anybody kind of running away with the team leading homers I don't even know who's leading right now. Maybe Springer only 16 and I know And bow and and and Vlad are around 12 13 around now maybe Springer only 16 and I know it's Springer yeah and Bowen and and Vladdy are around 12 13 so I don't know maybe this humid or thing they're doing some things to the balls and the AL East I know that the balls are kept in this new humidors and to keep them like humid and but you know nobody can

control the atmosphere's humidity so maybe they're too damp and they're not flying as hard. I would love for some of the data and the analytics folks that can probably look at the data and see how these new humidors are affecting ball flight across different parts of the country. Because I know that the reason why they were implemented to begin with is because in places like Colorado, the bubbles flying out of the the park so to even things out

now they implemented these these humiders in every stadium but that I don't know if they accounted for the fact that some of the places are more damp and humid than others and if that's affected the drag of the ball so not trying to find excuses for them, but other than two guys in the majors, I don't think nobody has more than 30. So I don't know because I haven't looked at the data if across the board the whole league is hidden less homers or it's just certain stadiums, but I know that for the Jays they're not hitting up a ton of them at least

there's no individual hitting any more than 16, but that doesn't matter at the end of the day. They're winning ballgames. They're not hitting up a ton of them. At least there's no individual hitting any more than 16, but that doesn't matter at the end of the day. They're winning ball games. They're playing good. And as long as they keep doing that, I guess it's a secondary headline, not a priority right now. So winning trumps homers. So I'd rather see the winning than a lot of home runs and losing.

Yeah. I'm homer so I'd rather see the winning than a lot of home runs and losing. Yeah, wins are always kind of the number one stat you want to see when it comes to a ball club. But you mentioned something, I'm kind of curious about it. You talked about how the ball you found that it flied whenever you were in Colorado. And if you look around the league, some are considered hitting parks, some are considered pitchers, parks. Did that alter your approach at the plate? Like, were you aware and did it change anything for you depending on what park you

were in? Well, for a lot of people, including myself, it's counterintuitive to try to hit homers. You do know that if you hit it well and you get it up in the air, and some places just go further. Atlanta, Colorado, some places like that. But you try not to let it get into your head, because at least for me, it made me over swing and try harder, which made me have less results. So I didn't have great home run numbers in Colorado. Maybe that's why.

Maybe it affected me negatively more than in other places. Jose, I'm gonna tip my pitch. I'm gonna give you a change up here. And so in this world, one video can sum up a lot of hard work and a lot of achievement and that's the bat flip. So how many times do you relive the bat flip and how many times do people remind you of the bat flip? Every day of my life at some point somebody brings it up.

So unless I become a recluse and just move to a remote mountain I think it'll continue to happen but I think that's a good thing right like it's become another touch point of the fan experience something that creates memories and people are going to be able to enjoy during a game and it's gonna be ever-evolving, right? So I think it's just seen more as a positive now than a negative and it's all about providing entertainment through sport and showing our great skills in front of our fans and this is one way to celebrate success within the game and I think the fans love it and if that's the case why not keep it a part of the game. Jose, the All-Star break's coming, the home run derby's coming.

How did you feel about the home run derby? Were you a fan of it? Did you enjoy participating? Did you feel it screwed up your swing? When you look back what was the impact of that contest in your career? Yeah, I love that I participated three or four times, I believe. I love the old format as a player because you either hit them or you don't. And if you hit a hot streak, you may win, but you're not wearing yourself out. This new format, you take so many swings, I don't even know how some of these guys are able to do it. I'd be in the colt for three days

after swinging that many swings. But listen, you gotta tip your hat. These guys are doing a great job. I still love the Home Run Derby, no matter what format, but if I was participating, I like the old format, and if I'm watching, I like the new format. So that sounds kinda crazy, but it didn't mess me up. I was trying to hit homers and BP every single day, so for me it was business as usual.

But it's a fun event and it's one of my favorites. Definitely my favorite out of all the All-Star festivities. Jose, I mean, you played a long time, you faced the you know the best pitchers of you know the the 2010s and there's a new crop of young guys who are coming through the league right now. Paul Skeen's a lot of fanfare, this Jake Mizorowski kid who had an epic night last night against the Dodgers. It was funny listening to Clayton Kershaw come out and say, I'm well aware of this kid now. Like was there a picture that you think back on that you might have heard a little bit,

like, oh yeah, this kid's got good stuff, but when you stepped into the batter's box, you were kind of blown away by what he threw at you? I think I faced my last year, there was a kid on the Braves, he's still there, he's got the big legs and the mustache, I forget his name, oh, Strider. I think I might have faced him once and he was a rookie then, first year, maybe a September call-up or something, I think I was with the Phillies.

I do remember, you know, facing him and his ball just moved a little different. It was, it had a little extra zip and I'm like, man, this is an uncomfortable bat. I'm glad I don't have to do that much more often after this season because I figured I was getting close to the end. But yeah, he's one of those guys that kind of stuck out to me as being pretty nasty. So. Yeah, what keeps you busy these days, Jose? What are your passions beyond playing?

And what keeps you getting up in the morning? I'm plenty busy. First of all, I'm a dad of four girls, as most people know. And you know, just keep me busy with that and their school and their sports and helping out around the house but other than that I got a bunch of different business ventures that I'm a part of and you know one of the ones that gets me the most excited is a soccer team in the United Soccer League that I bought in Las Vegas almost two years ago and that's going well.

So yeah just enjoying life trying to stay physically active and working out and exercising and just being a full-time dad and doing a few things on the entrepreneurial side. Jose, we really all appreciated this. Thanks for your time and all the best. My pleasure. And you guys know where to find me,

so have fun and good luck with the rest of the show. My pleasure and you guys know where to find me so have fun and good luck with the rest of the show. Thank you. Jose Batista, former Jays Outfielder, Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer. Jose joined us on the Maple Toyota Hotline Drive, the built in Canada fuel efficient fun to drive. Toyota RAV4, gas or hybrid models available. Visit visit maple toyota.com Las Vegas lights unmistakably Canadian it's the music that raised you the artists raising the bar hi this is Brian Adams hey my name is Brett Emmons I'm from the glorious sons hi I'm Nellie Furtado made in Canada the

station that champions Canadian music loud crowd and all yours. No passports required. Just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeartRadio app.