DENNY BAUTISTA Career Tracker

tigersaint wrote:

Which neck??

He doesn't have a neck.

mrsrabelo wrote:

tigersaint wrote:

Which neck??

He doesn't have a neck.

He reminds me of my fat cat, he doesn't have a neck either

03/27/2008 4:54 PM ET
Bautista calm, confident he'll succeed
Righty to get first chance as Jones' setup man in eighth
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- When Denny Bautista was left off the Rockies' playoff roster last October, he didn't stick around to see what happened. He went back to his native Dominican Republic and went to work.

Now, not only does he have another chance to get to the postseason with the Tigers, he also has the potential to play a big role in their hopes.

"I feel very good," he said. "I'm so happy to make the team. I just want to continue to do my job like I've been doing the whole spring. I just want to keep the ball down and keep working hard."

His job, of course, is going to be a little bigger than anyone envisioned. After coming into camp looking to be a complementary figure behind Fernando Rodney, Bautista will get the first crack at filling in for Rodney as the eighth-inning setup man.

It's the kind of role he has had the stuff to fill for some time. The difference this spring is that he has thrown the pitches he has with enough consistency to rack up outs.

"I have no idea how that's going to play out," manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday. "I don't know if he'll throw it in the ocean. The stuff is there to get hitters from both sides out. He's got an excellent curveball, an excellent slider and a very good fastball. That's three plus pitches. It's just a matter of his command and throwing to spots. If he can do that, at some point, he could be a closer for somebody, I suppose."

Part of it, too, is a matter of confidence. The way Bautista's been pitching, though, confidence no longer seems to be a question.

All spring, Bautista didn't want to talk about his chances of making the team. All he wanted to think about was throwing strikes, and let the Tigers take care of the rest. When Leyland told him earlier this week that he had made the team, he took that as a sign of the Tigers' confidence in him.

"Leyland told me I'm going to be on the team," Bautista said. "And I told him that I promise I'm going to give you 100 percent all the time when I go out to the mound. That's all. I just have to continue to do the same thing.

"I feel good because now I know that they trust me. They can put me in the game whenever they want to. I'll be ready for anything."

With the exception of an outing at Disney World and a meeting between his fastball and Travis Hafner's bat last weekend, Bautista has had an answer for everything the Tigers have thrown at him. He had a run of 10 consecutive scoreless innings this spring before the Braves put up two hits and an earned run on him last Thursday.

Even so, he still finished with stellar numbers -- two earned runs on 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts. He walked three, but none in 6 2/3 innings over six appearances after March 8.

That is the key, not only to his fortunes, but most likely the Tigers' fate in the later innings. If he can locate his fastball and force hitters to go after his slider and breaking ball, he'll make them earn their way on base, and he'll be able to bridge the gap -- not only between the starters and closer Todd Jones, but the gap before Rodney and eventually Joel Zumaya are ready to come back and assume their roles.

He believes he can do it. As he heads into his third Opening Day in the big leagues, he's surprisingly calm.

"My first two years when I made the [Royals in 2005 and '06], I was nervous from the start," Bautista said. "Now I feel like I'm just easy and relaxed. It's the same baseball, the one that I play in the Dominican Republic. Just go after hitters and throw my fastball."

It has helped, too, he believes, that he has a good team around him. He was a roommate of Miguel Cabrera's and a friend of Dontrelle Willis' and Nate Robertson's in the Marlins' Minor League system, and he knows several of Detroit's players from the Dominican Republic. He has meshed in well since they've all come together.

He thinks that talent can mesh on the field as well. He just wants to be a part of it.

"If everything goes right, I think we're going to the World Series," he said. "We have a very good lineup, and then we've got a great pitching staff. If we put those things together with everybody, yeah, I think we're going to make it.

"I feel happy to be part of the Detroit Tigers team. I feel great."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

2007 SEASON

Spent the majority of the season with Triple A Colorado Springs in the Colorado Rockies organization, pitching solely in relief for the first time in his career -- third on the staff with 51 appearances.

• Appeared in eight games with Colorado Springs during April before being recalled by the Rockies on April 29.

• Earned two wins and posted a 1.93 ERA (4.2IP/1ER) in his first four outings with Colorado April 29-May 5, before allowing 11 runs in an inning of work over his next three outings May 8-13 -- optioned back to Colorado Springs by the Rockies on May 15.

• Compiled a 3-0 record, 0.74 ERA (24.1IP/2ER) and 24 strikeouts over his final 19 outings with Colorado Springs July 19-September 2...finished 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA (15.2IP/1ER) and 15 strikeouts in 12 appearances during August.

• Limited righthanded batters to a .196 batting average (30x153) in the Pacific Coast League...lefties hit .286 (24x84) with Bautista on the mound.

• Recalled by the Rockies from Colorado Springs on September 4 -- appeared in two games during September for the Rockies, tossing three scoreless innings.

MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER

Opened the season on the Kansas City Royals roster for the second straight season in 2006.

• Started two games for the Royals before being sidelined April 14-May 8 with a pectoral muscle strain.

• Established a career high with three innings of relief on June 6 versus Texas.

• Optioned to Triple A Omaha by the Royals on June 8.

• Acquired by the Rockies from the Royals as part of a four-player deal on July 30 -- assigned to Colorado Springs.

• Recalled by the Rockies from Colorado Springs on September 7 -- saw action in four games during September for the Rockies.

For the first time in his career, he was a member of the Royals Opening Day roster in 2005 -- limited to seven starts due to a stint on the disabled list May 12-November 14 with right shoulder tendinitis.

• Earned his first major league win on April 8 at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as he fanned a career-high eight batters in eight innings of work.

• Assigned to Omaha as part of an injury rehabilitation assignment on June 22 -- recalled from the injury rehabilitation assignment on July 4 after the tendinitis recurred in his right shoulder.

• Transferred to the 60-day disabled list on July 25.

• Returned to Omaha for an injury rehabilitation assignment on August 27 -- recalled from the injury rehabilitation assignment on September 25.

Saw his first major league action after being recalled by the Baltimore Orioles from Double A Bowie on May 25, 2004.

• Made his major league debut on May 25, appearing in relief versus the New York Yankees.

• Optioned back to Double A by the Orioles on May 27.

• Acquired by Kansas City from Baltimore as part of a two-player deal on June 21 -- assigned to Double A Wichita by the Royals following the trade.

• Recalled by the Royals from Wichita on September 6 -- joined the Royals starting rotation, dropping each of his first four decisions September 6-25.


MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS

Saw action with both Omaha and Colorado Springs at the minor league level during the 2006 season.

• Fanned a season-high nine batters in his first start with Colorado Springs on August 6.

Started six games for Omaha during his two injury rehab assignments in 2005.

Began the 2004 season with Bowie in the Orioles organization before seeing action with Wichita in the Royals organization following a two-player deal between the two clubs.

• Fanned a season-high nine batters for Bowie on June 14 at Portland -- matched the high with nine strikeouts for Wichita on July 6 versus Frisco and July 12 at Arkansas.

• Went the distance on July 12 at Arkansas, his first of two complete games with Wichita -- also tossed a complete game on August 26 in the first game of a doubleheader at San Antonio...tied for fourth in the Texas League with two complete games.

• Compiled a 3-1 record, 2.09 ERA (43.0IP/10ER) and 44 strikeouts in six starts with Wichita during July.

• Named the second-best prospect in the Royals organization, fifth-best prospect in the Texas League and 18th-best prospect in the Eastern League following the season by Baseball America.

Split the 2003 season between Single A Jupiter and Double A Carolina in the Florida Marlins organization, before he was acquired by the Orioles as part of a three-player deal on August 31.

• Earned a spot on the World Team for the Futures Game held at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field prior to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game -- fanned two batters in a scoreless inning of relief.

• Led all Marlins minor leaguers with 138 strikeouts, while he tied for second with 12 wins.

• Won five of his final six decisions with Jupiter May 17-June 12, compiling a 2.36 ERA (42.0IP/11ER) during the six-start stretch -- was transferred to Carolina from Jupiter on June 20.

• Fanned a season-high 11 batters in a win at Jacksonville on July 18.

• Sidelined July 24-August 5 with a left oblique strain.

• Named the fifth-best prospect in the Orioles organization, ninth-best prospect in the Florida State League and 16th-best prospect in the Southern League following the season by Baseball America.

Limited to 19 appearances with Jupiter in 2002 as he was sidelined June 9-July 15 with a right shoulder strain.

• Limited lefthanded hitters to a .209 batting average (23x110)...righties hit .259 (57x220) with Bautista on the mound.

• Took the loss in his only start during the Florida State League playoffs, fanning five batters as he allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings of work.

• Named the 13th-best prospect in the Marlins organization following the season by Baseball America.

Split the 2001 season between Single A Utica and Single A Kane County, combining to post a 6-2 record and 3.22 ERA (78.1IP/28ER) in 15 outings.

• Went 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA (32.2IP/8ER) over his final six starts of the season with Kane County July 27-August 27.

• Fired a one-hit shutout in his only start for Kane County during the Midwest League playoffs, fanning eight batters.

• Named the third-best prospect in the Marlins organization and fifth-best prospect in the New York-Penn League following the season by Baseball America.

Signed by the Marlins as a non-drafted free agent on April 11, 2000, he saw action with the Dominican Summer League Marlins, Gulf Coast League Marlins and Utica during his first professional season.

• Tied for second in the Gulf Coast League with six wins, two complete games and 58 strikeouts, while he finished third with a 2.43 ERA and 63.0 innings pitched...third among all league starters with a .209 batting average against and 10.57 baserunners per nine innings and fifth with 2.28 walks per nine innings.

• Posted a 3-0 record and 1.20 ERA (30.0IP/4ER) in five starts during July for the Gulf Coast League Marlins.

• Started the Gulf Coast League Marlins only playoff game -- did not factor in the decision after allowing two runs in six innings of work.

• Named the 14th-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League and Marlins organization following the season by Baseball America.


PERSONAL/MISCELLANEOUS

Resides in Santo Domingo, DR during the off-season.

• Tabbed the third-best prospect in the Dominican Winter League following the 2003 season by Baseball America -- posted a 0-4 record and 4.93 ERA in 10 outings for Estrellas.

• Appeared in five games with Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League following the 2006 season, posting a 1.17 ERA (7.2IP/1ER) and six strikeouts.

• Compiled a 1-2 record, 2.78 ERA (22.2IP/7ER), 30 strikeouts and a .171 batting average against (13x76) in 13 outings for Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League following the 2007 season.

CAREER HIGHS
Longest Winning Streak: 2 - 4/29-5/4/07
Longest Losing Streak: 4 - 9/6-25/04
Strikeouts: 8 - 4/8/05 at LAA
Walks: 5 (twice) - last, 4/8/06 vs. CWS
Innings (starter): 8.0 - 4/8/05 at LAA
Innings (relief): 3.0 - 6/6/06 vs. TEX
Low-Hit Game: 1 - 4/8/06 vs. CWS (6.0IP)

LEFT/RIGHT SPLITS
vs. lefthanded batters:
2007: .480 (12x25), no home runs
Career: .318 (81x255), four home runs
vs. righthanded batters:
2007: .353 (6x17), no home runs
Career: .295 (64x217), six home runs

12/04/2007 2:06 PM ET
Tigers acquire Denny Bautista from Colorado

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers today announced the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Denny Bautista from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jose Capellan.

Bautista posted a 2-1 record as he appeared in nine games with the Rockies in 2007. In 51 outings with Triple-A Colorado Springs last season, he finished 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA (64.2IP/21ER). Bautista has appeared in eight games for Oriente in the Dominican Winter League, compiling a 1-1 record, 3.46 ERA (13.0IP/5ER) and 18 strikeouts.

In eight seasons at the Minor League level after signing with Florida as a non-drafted free agent on April 11, 2000, he has posted a 41-40 record and 3.75 ERA (688.0IP/287ER) in 173 games. Bautista has seen action in 35 games at the Major League level with Baltimore (2004), Kansas City (2004-06) and Colorado (2006-07).

Capellan saw action in 10 games with Detroit in 2007 after being acquired from Milwaukee on July 1. A veteran of four seasons at the Major League level with Atlanta (2004), Milwaukee (2005-07) and Detroit (2007), he is 5-7 with a 4.90 ERA (121.1IP/66ER) in 98 games.

12/05/2007 12:10 AM ET
Tigers, Rockies swap relievers
Bautista, Capellan both out of options heading into camp
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Before the Tigers put together a package for the biggest trade of the Winter Meetings so far -- reaching a preliminary agreement to acquire All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins -- Detroit pulled off a smaller swap of relievers on Tuesday by sending Jose Capellan to the Rockies for fellow mercurial right-hander Denny Bautista.

The Tigers are familiar with Bautista from his days with the Royals, for whom he made 19 starts in scattered stints from 2004-06. Since joining the Rockies as part of the Jeremy Affeldt deal at the 2006 trade deadline, Bautista has worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen.

The 27-year-old posted a 2-1 record and 12.46 ERA in nine appearances in 2007, eight of them in relief. However, half of the 12 runs he allowed came in one outing against the Giants on May 13.

Bautista was much more effective at Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 51 relief appearances. He struck out 63 batters over 64 2/3 innings with just one home run allowed, but he also yielded 31 walks.

Like Capellan, Bautista has been enjoying a solid campaign in winter ball. He entered Tuesday with a 1-1 record and a 3.46 ERA through eight relief appearances for Estrellas de Oriente of the Dominican Winter League. Bautista has fanned 18 batters over 13 innings against five walks while scattering seven hits.

Both Bautista and Capellan are out of options, which makes the swap somewhat less significant. They would have to make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training or else be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers.

Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd met with reporters in the press room at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and summed up the deal simply.

"It's just one good arm for another good arm," O'Dowd said. "Hopefully, a change of scenery will help both guys."

Considering the Tigers didn't see themselves with any pressing bullpen need heading into these Meetings, it's unlikely that Bautista heads into next spring with any sort of role. However, his talent presents the Tigers with a project this spring to see if they can hone his command.

Capellan, who will turn 27 years old in January, saw the scenery for Detroit for only a few fleeting moments. The Tigers acquired him from Milwaukee on July 1 and used him in seven games out of the bullpen before sending him to Triple-A Toledo. Bautista made three more appearances as a September callup.

Add up the numbers, and Capellan went 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in his brief Tigers tenure, allowing 10 earned runs on 18 hits over 14 innings. He also struck out 12. In Winter League ball, Capellan owns a 2-2 record and 3.21 ERA in six starts for Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

02/23/2008 7:50 PM ET
Notes: Bautista hopes this time is charm
With fifth team, righty coming off solid winter ball campaign
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Through four organizations and four big league stints, Denny Bautista has never been able to stick in the Majors. If this is the year he does, he'll credit a long stretch in winter ball for it.

Bautista has the kind of arm that impresses in camp, up to triple-digit velocity that sets up the rest of his game. His problem has usually been control, evidenced in part from his 55 walks over 115 2/3 innings.

So far, though, Bautista believes he has better command of his fastball, a priority he worked on in the Dominican League. And that could give him a chance to win a spot in Detroit's bullpen.

"Right now, I feel very good," he said. "I'm happy to be here. I just have to continue to do the same thing like I did down there in winter ball. I have to bring the same plan here."

This wasn't the first time Bautista pitched over the winter; he has been part of the Estrellas team in the Dominican for several years. However, he had extensive work this season, tossing 22 1/3 innings over 13 relief outings. He held opponents to a .171 batting average in the process.

"That's what I tried to do, just command," he said. "First-pitch strikes, just work with my fastball. Right after that, go with my breaking pitches, slider, curve."

That earned him a trip to the Caribbean Series for the first time in his career. Estrellas didn't make it, but teams that go to the series are allowed to draft players from other clubs in the league as "reinforcements." In some ways, it ends up looking like a league All-Star team.

"I felt so happy when they called me," he said. "You're happy to say, 'Yes.' This was my first time."

Bautista pitched four times in five days for Dominican champion Aguilas Cibaenas. He tossed four scoreless innings with four strikeouts over the first three appearances before giving up two singles and a walk in his fourth outing. All three runners ended up scoring.

Once the Caribbean Series ended, Bautista had just a couple days off before heading here ahead of the start of camp. It isn't much rest, but the flip side is that he began Spring Training in game shape in his effort to try to win a job.

"I feel very good with my arm, my shoulder," he said.

Bautista has spent his side sessions trying to spot his fastball on the corners. He'll face hitters for the first time on Sunday, but the key for him will be how he reacts in game situations once the Spring Training schedule begins next week.

He knows the label placed on him, a gifted arm that has yet to translate into big league results. He hopes this is the time.

"I just want to put everything in God's hands," Bautista said. "I just want to do my job. I just worry right now to throw strikes and get my pitches to locate."

...

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

03/05/2008 7:51 PM ET
Notes: Bautista continues to impress
Right-hander making a case for a spot in the bullpen
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Denny Bautista insists he isn't trying to think about the window of opportunity in the Tigers bullpen. He's just trying to pitch.

So far, his pitching could be putting himself in position for an opportunity. It's still barely a week into Spring Training games, but with two hitless innings against the Phillies on Wednesday, the young, hard-throwing but well-traveled right-hander bumped his total to five scoreless innings on two hits for the spring. And in a Tigers bullpen that has looked like a battle of attrition at times, his performances are beginning to stand out a little.

"I don't worry about if they need guys in the bullpen," Bautista said. "I just want to go out there and throw my pitch for a strike, and get in and out. I feel good right now, so I just want to pay attention to what I have to do to get better on the staff.

"Everything is going well. Now, I have to keep going and do the same thing I did down in winter ball."

Bautista's previous two outings had come in the later innings of games, but he followed starter Justin Verlander on Wednesday to begin the fourth inning. Manager Jim Leyland wanted to see him work against more regulars, or at least more of the starting lineup that Philadelphia's split-squad presented.

The results were more of the same, with no ball leaving the infield in play. His knuckle-curveball was sharp, and his two-seamer caught Pat Burrell looking at a called third strike leading off the fifth. A two-out walk produced his only baserunner.

Most importantly, though, he spotted fastballs for strikes, continuing to solve the bugaboo that has followed him around his stops.

"He commanded the ball real well today," Leyland said. "He got to feeling good about himself and he got better. He's got to do that more often."

The improved location, Bautista said, comes after work with coaches on his delivery out of the stretch, raising his arm angle up. He worked exclusively out of the stretch Wednesday instead of using a windup.

"If I want to go inside, I go there," he said. "I won't miss. Right now, I feel very good about my fastball command."

To Leyland, the improvement is partly a matter of confidence.

"You can tell by his posturing and body language," Leyland said. "The more he was throwing, the more confidence he got. He felt real good about himself today and got in a good groove."

Without naming candidates, Leyland said earlier this week that he has about five pitchers competing for as little as one spot, depending on Fernando Rodney's health. Matt Mantei's retirement and Francisco Cruceta's visa problems have left two talented arms out of the picture.

A trade could change the situation, and with a glut of position players, there were indications the Tigers have at least had discussions with other clubs on those matters. Still, between an upper-90s mph fastball and sharp secondary stuff, there are few arms with as much raw talent as Bautista's, when he's on.

"They make the decision," Bautista said. "I just want to do my job. I don't want to worry about anything. Work with my stuff and see what happens."

....

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

03/16/2008 6:27 PM ET
Leyland decides one of last 'pen spots
Bautista, Bazardo among candidates without Minors options
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- What had been a decision for manager Jim Leyland on two bullpen spots is now down to one. It doesn't mean that Fernando Rodney's outlook has changed, but it means Leyland has decided one of the spots.

"I've got my team already with the exception of one guy," Leyland said. "I've got 24."

That's as specific as Leyland would get on it.

"I'm not announcing anything," he said Sunday morning before the Tigers took on the Rays at Al Lang Field. "I'm just telling you, I've got 24 players. I've got one spot to go yet. The only reason you don't announce anything is that there could be a trade, we could pick somebody up."

Sunday's comments come on the heels of Saturday's loss to the Yankees. Denny Bautista pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings on one hit and a strikeout in that game, stretching his scoreless Spring Training to 9 1/3 innings on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Bautista is out of Minor League options, as is Yorman Bazardo, who allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 2 1/3 innings on Sunday afternoon against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Aquilino Lopez, meanwhile, tossed two perfect innings to give him nine innings with two runs allowed so far this spring. Preston Larrison, who pitched on Saturday, and Freddy Dolsi, who gave up three runs to the Mets on Sunday, are also believed to be candidates.

One potential trade that complicates the Tigers' roster -- whether it happens or not -- is Brandon Inge, who remains on the block with two weeks to go before Opening Day. Inge started at third base for the Tigers' split-squad against the Rays, while Miguel Cabrera started against the Mets.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

03/17/2008 6:14 PM ET
Bautista continues spring dominance
Offseason acquisition could open 2008 in big league 'pen
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The longer Denny Bautista's ERA stays at zero, the more his confidence rises.

While Reds starter Johnny Cueto was the pitching story of Monday's 5-3 Tigers loss for the stuff he displayed against Detroit's lineup, Bautista quietly continued to display the effectiveness that appears to have earned him a spot in Detroit's bullpen. With his scoreless sixth, he's now up to 10 1/3 innings without a run allowed.

It's not just Tigers officials he's convincing that he can pitch big league relief. He's believing in himself.

"Right now, I feel like I can't miss the strike zone," Bautista said. "I can go right after [hitters] and throw strikes all the time."

It's at the point where manager Jim Leyland unintentionally created a tough situation for him and saw how he could get out of it.

Following starter Kenny Rogers' five innings, Bautista started the sixth by retiring Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on pop flies. He was nearly out of the inning, but Edwin Encarnacion's ground ball hopped off shortstop Edgar Renteria's glove for a two-out error. That brought up Scott Hatteberg.

With Encarnacion on first, Leyland called a pitchout on a 1-1 count, putting Hatteberg in a hitting count when Encarnacion didn't take off for second.

"Not that I didn't think he was going, because I did," Leyland said, "but normally I wouldn't put a guy in a hole. But I didn't mind doing it with him, just to see how he'd react."

Bautista ended up in a 3-1 count before Hatteberg hit a fly ball that fell into left field for a single, putting two on for catcher Paul Bako. Bautista regrouped to strike out Bako, not on one of his trademark power fastballs or sliders, but on a fastball with just enough off of it to throw off Bako's timing.

It was his 10th strikeout this spring. By comparison, he has walked just three and allowed five hits.

"Right now, this is my best spring that I've had," said Bautista, now in his ninth professional season. "I'm in the strike zone right now, so I just have to continue throwing my pitches."

If he can do that and keep getting good results, he's expected to get a chance to throw those pitches in Detroit when the season opens. Though Leyland said he has made decisions regarding at least one of the two available bullpen spots, he has not announced who will fill them, partly to protect the process in case the Tigers make a trade before breaking camp.

Still, with spots open, Bautista has pitched the best out of the presumed candidates, and he has left an impression. Leyland admits he didn't know who Bautista was when Detroit traded for him last December, thinking it was a different player of a similar name.

But then, few might recognize Bautista by the way he has pitched this spring compared with years past, when his stuff didn't translate into results because he couldn't control his fastball.

"So far, he's done a pretty decent job," Leyland said. "Obviously, we're taking a look at him, and he's done OK. He's had a pretty good spring."

It's a diplomatic outlook, but Bautista isn't counting himself on the team yet, either.

"I just put everything in God's hands," he said. "They make the decision. I just have to continue to do my job. Just pitch like I am right now and keep throwing my pitch for a strike, and that's it."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

03/17/2008 4:38 PM ET
Mailbag: Is Bautista a lock for the 'pen?
Tigers beat reporter Jason Beck answers fans' questions
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

What are the chances that Denny Bautista will make the team? As a season-ticket holder this spring, I have been impressed with him. He has great velocity and control on the mound. With all of the injuries in the 'pen Denny could fill that seventh or eighth inning spot nicely.
-- James C., Orlando, Fla.

Barring a late collapse, he appears to be a safe bet, especially with Fernando Rodney expected to start the season on the disabled list. His Spring Training stats speak for themselves, for what that's worth, but his stuff has been the key. He has consistently spotted his fastball well with velocity, and he has avoided getting himself into trouble with walks, which was an anchor tied to him in his other stops.

Bautista has been a intriguing player to watch this spring because of his history. He has always impressed teams with his arm but couldn't put everything together in the big leagues during his previous stops in Kansas City and Colorado. He could look great one outing and couldn't find the strike zone the next. But he threw very well in winter ball, and the Tigers picked him up in a minor trade the day of the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis deal, and those wild outings haven't come up here in camp.

03/27/2008 4:54 PM ET
Bautista calm, confident he'll succeed
Righty to get first chance as Jones' setup man in eighth
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- When Denny Bautista was left off the Rockies' playoff roster last October, he didn't stick around to see what happened. He went back to his native Dominican Republic and went to work.

Now, not only does he have another chance to get to the postseason with the Tigers, he also has the potential to play a big role in their hopes.

"I feel very good," he said. "I'm so happy to make the team. I just want to continue to do my job like I've been doing the whole spring. I just want to keep the ball down and keep working hard."

His job, of course, is going to be a little bigger than anyone envisioned. After coming into camp looking to be a complementary figure behind Fernando Rodney, Bautista will get the first crack at filling in for Rodney as the eighth-inning setup man.

It's the kind of role he has had the stuff to fill for some time. The difference this spring is that he has thrown the pitches he has with enough consistency to rack up outs.

"I have no idea how that's going to play out," manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday. "I don't know if he'll throw it in the ocean. The stuff is there to get hitters from both sides out. He's got an excellent curveball, an excellent slider and a very good fastball. That's three plus pitches. It's just a matter of his command and throwing to spots. If he can do that, at some point, he could be a closer for somebody, I suppose."

Part of it, too, is a matter of confidence. The way Bautista's been pitching, though, confidence no longer seems to be a question.

All spring, Bautista didn't want to talk about his chances of making the team. All he wanted to think about was throwing strikes, and let the Tigers take care of the rest. When Leyland told him earlier this week that he had made the team, he took that as a sign of the Tigers' confidence in him.

"Leyland told me I'm going to be on the team," Bautista said. "And I told him that I promise I'm going to give you 100 percent all the time when I go out to the mound. That's all. I just have to continue to do the same thing.

"I feel good because now I know that they trust me. They can put me in the game whenever they want to. I'll be ready for anything."

With the exception of an outing at Disney World and a meeting between his fastball and Travis Hafner's bat last weekend, Bautista has had an answer for everything the Tigers have thrown at him. He had a run of 10 consecutive scoreless innings this spring before the Braves put up two hits and an earned run on him last Thursday.

Even so, he still finished with stellar numbers -- two earned runs on 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts. He walked three, but none in 6 2/3 innings over six appearances after March 8.

That is the key, not only to his fortunes, but most likely the Tigers' fate in the later innings. If he can locate his fastball and force hitters to go after his slider and breaking ball, he'll make them earn their way on base, and he'll be able to bridge the gap -- not only between the starters and closer Todd Jones, but the gap before Rodney and eventually Joel Zumaya are ready to come back and assume their roles.

He believes he can do it. As he heads into his third Opening Day in the big leagues, he's surprisingly calm.

"My first two years when I made the [Royals in 2005 and '06], I was nervous from the start," Bautista said. "Now I feel like I'm just easy and relaxed. It's the same baseball, the one that I play in the Dominican Republic. Just go after hitters and throw my fastball."

It has helped, too, he believes, that he has a good team around him. He was a roommate of Miguel Cabrera's and a friend of Dontrelle Willis' and Nate Robertson's in the Marlins' Minor League system, and he knows several of Detroit's players from the Dominican Republic. He has meshed in well since they've all come together.

He thinks that talent can mesh on the field as well. He just wants to be a part of it.

"If everything goes right, I think we're going to the World Series," he said. "We have a very good lineup, and then we've got a great pitching staff. If we put those things together with everybody, yeah, I think we're going to make it.

"I feel happy to be part of the Detroit Tigers team. I feel great."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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04/19/2008 3:00 PM ET
Bautista thriving in setup role
Right-hander providing Tigers big boost at back end of 'pen
By Gregor Chisholm / Special to MLB.com

TORONTO -- Heading into the beginning of the season, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Tigers was how effective their middle-relief would be.

So far, that question hasn't been much of an issue thanks to the efforts of right-hander Denny Bautista.

The 27-year-old, who spent the majority of the 2007 season with Triple-A Colorado Springs of the Rockies organization, has allowed just one run over his first eight innings of the year.

It has been an unexpected -- but welcome surprise -- for the Tigers, who had been searching for a setup man to replace injured right-handers Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland thinks the key to Bautista's early success is that the club has given him a clearly defined role, which has let the righty know exactly what is expected from him.

"Hopefully, he's found a niche," Leyland said in reference to Bautista, who has alternated between starting and relieving for the majority of his eight-year professional career. "We're trying to keep him in a one-inning stint to give him some more confidence. So far he has responded very well."

A great example of that came during the eighth inning of Friday night's game against Toronto. With a runner on first and the Tigers clinging to a three-run lead, Bautista was facing Jays slugger Frank Thomas.

"I was a little worried about it," Leyland admitted about the matchup. "I saw Thomas on TV take [Boston's] Manny Delcarmen over the fence with the bases loaded on a 95-mph fastball [earlier this season.] So yeah, you could say I was a little worried."

Turns out there was no reason to be. Bautista overmatched the future Hall of Famer with perfectly located fastballs, and all Thomas could do was weakly foul off some of the pitches before striking out on the 10th offering.

"That's what it's all about," Leyland said of Bautista's aggressive style. "Here's mine, here's yours, let's play. Frank's been a great hitter for a long time ... But I think [Bautista] knows we believe in him and that helps. I told him in Spring Training I was going to give him a shot and the rest is up to him."

To date, Bautista has responded better than even Leyland could have imagined. After surrendering one run in his season-debut on March 31, Bautista has tossed six consecutive scoreless innings. Over that span, he has allowed just two hits while walking three and striking out two.

Those numbers rank among the best in baseball for setup men during the early part of the 2008 season. Not bad for a guy who entered Spring Training without a guaranteed job.

Gregor Chisholm is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Pirates acquire reliever Bautista from Tigers
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Denny Bautista from the Detroit Tigers today for minor league reliever Kyle Pearson. They cleared space on the 40-man roster by unconditionally releasing injured minor league outfielder Kevin Thompson.

Bautista, 27, began 2008 with the Tigers and went 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 16 appearances before being designated for assignment Friday. Bautista held hitters to a .231 batting average against and one home run, including a .143 average against left-handed batters.

A corresponding move for the 25-man roster will come when Bautista joins the team tomorrow.
More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
First published on June 25, 2008 at 4:59 pm

Pirates Notebook: Reliever acquired; Barthmaier coming up
Thursday, June 26, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pirates did find outside pitching help, as expected, but it was not for the ailing rotation.

Instead, general manager Neal Huntington added another power arm to the bullpen by acquiring Denny Bautista from Detroit for Class A reliever Kyle Pearson. Bautista, a 27-year-old right-hander, was designated for assignment Friday after posting a 3.02 ERA, 10 strikeouts, 14 walks and 15 hits in 16 appearances for the Tigers.

Bautista will join the team today, at which point another reliever will be removed from the 25-man roster. If that choice is either Sean Burnett or Franquelis Osoria, the Pirates risk losing the pitcher. Burnett can declare free agency the next time the Pirates designate him, and Osoria is out of options, so he would have to clear waivers. T.J. Beam is a candidate to be optioned back.

As for who will start tomorrow and Saturday in place of Ian Snell and Phil Dumatrait: Jimmy Barthmaier will be summoned from Class AAA Indianapolis for the start tomorrow, according to one source, and John Van Benschoten is the favorite to pitch Saturday.

Huntington did not rule out Van Benschoten, even though he made a four-inning start for Class AAA Indianapolis Tuesday. The primary reason Van Benschoten was lifted so early -- in addition to three runs, eight hits and concern about a lingering stiff shoulder -- was so that he would be an option.

Barthmaier, 24, was a former top prospect with Houston, and Huntington claimed him off waivers from the Astros in November. He opened the season with Class AA Altoona and did not fare well, going 2-4 with a 4.86 ERA, but he seized a chance with a spot start for Indianapolis and stuck with that rotation to go 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in five appearances. He struck out 29, walked six and held opponents to a .205 average.

It will mark Barthmaier's major league debut, as he never pitched above Class AA until last month.

Bautista likened to Yates

An American League scout last night described Bautista as a "Tyler Yates type of guy," and that seems true in more ways than one.

For one, his fastball has been clocked as high as 99 mph, and he has a changeup and curveball, too.

"We had a chance to get a guy with very good stuff, and that's something we don't have a lot of," Huntington said.

For another, Bautista was crowded off a roster. Detroit had Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney return from injuries and everyone else pitching well.

The other common trait Bautista shares with Yates, though, is arriving with a reputation for wildness: He has 69 walks in 134 2/3 career innings, to go with 87 strikeouts and a 6.42 ERA over five major league seasons.

Also, Bautista missed a month -- early May to early this month -- with right shoulder tendinitis.

"We had that checked, and we saw him pitch twice since then with his usual velocity, so we're satisfied he's fine," Huntington said.

Bautista will pitch in long relief, Huntington said, though he could add responsibility depending on performance.

Thompson gone

To clear space on the 40-man roster, Indianapolis outfielder Kevin Thompson was unconditionally released, one day after having surgery to address a torn tendon and fractured hamate bone in his left hand.

The Pirates must pay the rest of his minor league salary, roughly $50,000.

Buried treasure

• Right-handed starter Justin Wilson, the Pirates' fifth-round draft pick, led his Fresno State University team to the College World Series title last night with eight strong innings in a 6-1 victory against Georgia in Omaha, Neb. He allowed one run and five hits, struck out nine and walked one. The Pirates had been waiting until after the series to begin serious contract talks.

• Right fielder Xavier Nady took another healthy round of batting practice but was limited to pinch-hitting availability out of caution. He could return tonight, manager John Russell said.

• Snell did his first light throwing since having the arthrogram on his elbow Monday and pronounced it fine but, though the team has not formally declared it, he will not pitch until next week at the soonest.

• Bautista is making $395,000 and is not eligible for salary arbitration until 2010.

• Pearson, 23, had a combined 6.85 ERA in 16 appearances between Altoona and Class A Lynchburg.

First published on June 26, 2008 at 12:00 am

Pirates' bullpen shines in 10-7 victory against Houston
Monday, July 07, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When does a baseball team give up a touchdown and credit its victory to the pitching?

Answer: When the bullpen is nearly perfect, as the Pirates' three relievers were in dousing the Houston Astros, 10-7, tonight before 13,323 at PNC Park.

Denny Bautista, Tyler Yates and Damaso Marte combined for 5 2/3 pristine innings, retiring 17 of the 18 batters they faced and fanning seven of them. Marte's save was his second, and that bailed out Phil Dumatrait after a calamitous return from the disabled list in which he was charged with seven runs in 3 1/3 innings.

It also broke a three-game losing streak.

This seven-game homestand leading into the All-Star break could be make-or-break, but the Pirates, while acknowledging its urgency seem to be stopping just short of that assessment.

"It's important," manager John Russell said this afternoon. "Everybody knows it would be nice to have a good homestand."

Or it would be imperative, depending on one's perspective: The Pirates, with 74 games remaining, are 12 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the Central Division, 8 ?? behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the wild card.

And, if the standings are to become relevant again in Pittsburgh -- for the first time since 1997 -- it will have to be accompanied by starting pitching much better than what Dumatrait gave the Pirates, as he gave up nine hits, including Carlos Lee's home run in the first.

Fortunately for Dumatrait, his counterpart was no better, possibly worse: Runelvys Hernandez, who made a dubious cameo in the Pirates' system last summer, was called upon after Houston's pitchers were beaten down by 17 innings the previous afternoon -- everyone in the bullpen worked at least one inning, some as much as three -- and his four innings would include 10 runs on 13 hits.

Those included sizable home runs by Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit, just as they included the first career hits by Dumatrait and Bautista, each for an RBI.

Yes, it was that ugly.

Houston jumped on Dumatrait for three in the first, but the Pirates countered with one more in the bottom half. That came on four consecutive two-out RBI singles.

The Pirates' lead was stretched to 6-3 when McLouth hit a ball onto the riverwalk just beyond the right-field seats -- but not out of the stadium -- and Xavier Nady hit an RBI double. McLouth's home run was his 16th. And an Adam LaRoche triple in that mix was his third in 12 games after he had two in the rest of his career.

The Astros leapfrogged ahead, 7-6, with four runs in the fourth to chase Dumatrait.

The Pirates, naturally, countered with four of their own, including Doumit's 11th home run, a two-run shot above the Clemente Wall, and an unforgettable at-bat by Bautista: Betraying his American League roots, he nearly fell forward with an awkward swing and miss. Surely, if anyone was going to be an easy out on this night, this would be it.

Not so.

Bautista took a pitch, then hit a roller up the middle for an infield single.

By inning's end, the Pirates were up, 10-7.

And, in what was Bautista's most important contribution, he pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings -- striking out the side in the sixth -- to settle things.

Yates followed that by retiring all six batters he faced, four of them with swinging strikeouts.

In the ninth, Marte got two groundouts before walking Mark Loretta, then getting Lance Berkman to fly out.

It was the Pirates' seventh double-digit offensive output of the season.

More in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on July 7, 2008 at 11:01 pm

Pirates Notebook: Payroll budget going up in 2009
Sunday, September 14, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pirates will slightly increase their budget for major league payroll in 2009 from the current $54 million, team president Frank Coonelly said last night.

But that should not be taken to mean, Coonelly stressed, that the figure would be maxed out.

"We're not going to spend just to say we got up to a certain number," Coonelly said. "If we see good baseball investments, the money will be there."

The current budget will not be maxed out. Rather, the team is expected to pay out roughly $51 million, with the $3 million gap between that figure and the budget an almost perfect match for the amount saved by the mid-season trades of Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. If the total ends up at $51 million, it will be fourth-lowest amount paid in Major League Baseball this year, and it will be close to the $51,360,907 the Pirates paid last year.

The highest payroll in franchise history was $57.8 million, in 2001 with the opening of PNC Park.

A 2009 budget of more than $54 million leaves the Pirates more flexibility than it might appear, given that roughly $8 million was spent on pitcher Matt Morris after he was released in May. But there will be additional expenses, too, notably the eight players eligible for arbitration.

That includes six first-timers, all of whom will see their salaries go from roughly the major league minimum of $390,000 to four or five times that, or more. They are outfielder Nate McLouth, catcher Ryan Doumit and pitchers Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Tyler Yates and Denny Bautista.

Yet another ex-Tiger gone successful.