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Gibbons believes Bautista is 'on a mission' this season

Butch Dill / USA TODAY Sports

TORONTO - While it's generally unwise to put much stock in spring training statistics, Jose Bautista is giving the Toronto Blue Jays reason to believe he's back to being the slugger they remember.

And that could be a huge boost to a team that's reached the AL Championship Series the last two years and is looking to go farther.

Last spring, the biggest numbers Bautista put up were salary demands for his looming free agency, but that payday never materialized after he endured a season-long slump. Limited to 116 games by foot and knee injuries, Bautista hit .234 with 22 homers and 69 RBIs, missing the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years.

With teammate and fellow slugger Edwin Encarnacion viewed as Toronto's preferred offseason target, few expected Bautista to be back with the Blue Jays. But after Encarnacion ended up in Cleveland, Bautista signed a one-year, $18-million contract to remain in Toronto.

Healthy again and determined to prove his doubters wrong, Bautista crushed opposing pitching in early Grapefruit League action, batting .556 (10-for-18) with two homers and seven RBIs over his first seven games.

"He's on a mission," manager John Gibbons said. "He always is, but he's definitely on a mission now."

Lest that production be maligned for coming in meaningless exhibitions, the former major-league home run champ also pounded the ball at the World Baseball Classic, batting .333 (6-for-18) with one homer and five RBIs in five games for the Dominican Republic. The 36-year-old outfielder also showed off his once-feared arm, diminished by shoulder pain since April 2015, by making a game-saving throw against Colombia, throwing out a runner at the plate.

Seeking a third straight postseason appearance on the heels of consecutive ALCS defeats, the Blue Jays will be counting on Bautista more than ever now that Encarnacion has joined the defending league champions.

Still, Joey Bats won't have to shoulder the load alone. Newcomer Kendrys Morales, who hit 30 home runs for Kansas City last year, expects his slugging totals to increase at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, much as Josh Donaldson's did in 2015, his first season north of the border, when he was named AL MVP.

'"We're comfortable with the group that we have," Bautista said after returning from the WBC. "We just have to stay healthy, play hard and play together. Hopefully this season gets a little deeper into the playoffs than we have the last two."

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