I began the 2002 Tony Batista Yearbook comment thusly:  "Fact:  Tony Batista's not a particularly good offensive player and what's more, he never has been.  That may seem hard to believe given that he hit 41 home runs just a couple of seasons ago with the Blue Jays.  (Can you say hitter's park?  Can you say crazy offensive era?  I thought you could.)"

Batista seemed bound and determined to prove that point in 2003, because he was dreadful.  Batista's .328 Offensive Winning Percentage was 8th worst in all of major league baseball for players with at least 502 plate appearances, and was dead last among qualifying big league third basemen.  Batista was also responsible for 512 outs in 2003, the most in all of MLB.

Batista's primary offensive problem, as foreshadowed above, is his inability to reach base.  His .270 OBP was the second worst among qualifying big leaguers (only left side infield mate Deivi Cruz was worse, at .269...hmm...Batista and Cruz...the Left Out Kids).  Even Batista's supposed offensive strength--power--was nothing to get excited about last season.  Batista's Isolated Power mark (.158) was actually slightly below the overall league average (.161) and the 3B positional average (.163).

What about Tony's glove?  Well, while Batista has generally been reliable on those balls he reached at third base, he isn't exactly known for his range.  In fact, statues, headstones, mausoleums and the odd oil derrick have as much range as Batista.  And, as was the case in almost every phase of his game in 2003, he wasn't even particularly reliable on those balls he reached.  Batista committed 20 errors last year, good for a .950 fielding percentage; only three third basemen with at least 1000 innings at the position in 2003 were worse.

Here's another remark from 2002's Batista comment:

"In 2002, Batista really had two seasons.  The first half, before the All-Star break, showed Tony checking in at an above average .269/.340/.522.  But in the second half of the year, he fell apart completely:  .217/.276/.388."

Note that his 2003 season was essentially equal to his 2002 second half.  What that means is that Batista has performed at more or less the same pitiful level for the last one-and-a-half seasons.  That doesn't bode well for the future, and leads to this final remark from the 2002 comment, which began the concluding summary paragraph:  

"It's pretty clear that Tony Batista isn't the kind of player one builds a team around.  While his profile is one of a player who will, at some point, probably plummet suddenly off the radar screen..."

We may have witnessed that sudden disappearing act since the 2002 All-Star break.  Batista has become less than the overrated, but close to positional average player that he's been essentially 1998.  At this point, he's not even a replacement level player.  Is he as bad as he played in 2003?  I would be tempted to say no--given that 2003 was easily Tony's worst full big league season--if 2002's second half wasn't every bit as bad.  I'd say that there's a very real chance that Batista really has become a blatant liability at this point in his career.  His ability to pop the occasional home run will almost certainly allow him to hang around at the big league level for at least a few years, but it really shouldn't.  Fortunately, he won't be making a plethora of outs in an Orioles uniform in 2004. 

1. Somehow figure out how to stop making outs in nearly 3/4 of his plate appearances
2. Do something he's never been able to do--reach base at something approaching an average rate.
3. Remember how to hit left-handers (see below).

NOTES: For the second straight year, had a significant reverse power platoon:  in 2002, vs. LHP:  .234/.295/.354 in 145 ABs; vs. RHP: .247/.314/.492; in 2003, vs. LHP: .193/.238/.373 in 161 ABs; vs. RHP: .249/.281/.400 in 470 ABs...rolled into 20 double plays in 2003, tied for 16th worst in baseball...drew exactly three walks (.249 OBP) in more than 330 plate appearances in which he fell behind in the count 0-1...slugged .357 (10 HRs) in 308 ABs at Camden Yards.

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