[KootenayFlamesFan]

Troy Tulowitzki sounds genuinely impressed by what he’s seeing from Jose Bautista at the plate. Marcus Stroman enjoys every line drive that leaves Bautista’s bat. John Gibbons says he’s seeing Bautista do things he’s never seen him do before.

Perhaps the lone person who seems unimpressed by Bautista’s spring performance is Jose Bautista himself.

"I’m not going to get too excited about it," Bautista said Sunday. "I won’t complain, but I’m not going to start feeling like I’m going to win a batting championship."

As Bautista suggests, it’d be misguided to read too much into spring results. At the same time, teams do draw some conclusions this time of year—executives finalize rosters, scouts write up reports. If you’re careful, you might leave a Grapefruit League game having learned something concrete.

Bautista’s spring success—two home runs, a stolen base and nine hits compared to just seven outs—suggests that he’s feeling physically strong after a 2016 season that included two stints on the disabled list. It’s not just the games that are encouraging either.

"Today’s probably the best BP I’ve ever seen him have," Gibbons said. "And I’ve been around him a few years. He’s really locked in."

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb...g-performance/