Blue Jays' Jose Bautista: Staying put as team's leadoff hitter

Bautista will continue to be the team's leadoff hitter for the foreseeable future, and second baseman Devon Travis will hit toward the bottom of the lineup, the Toronto Sun reports.

Analysis:

Travis, the young, fast, more traditional pick for the role, has also been good when given the chance, batting .311 in 23 games at the leadoff spot. However, manager John Gibbons thinks having the Jays' big bats -- Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion -- staring down the opposing pitcher right away might make things a little uncomfortable out on the mound. "A lot of times with guys you're facing, a lot of pitchers have trouble in the first inning finding that rhythm or whatever you wanna call it," Gibbons said. "So you wanna capitalize on that." Although hitting first may reduce his opportunities to drive in runs, Bautista should see an increase in at-bats and likely score more runs from the top spot.