Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Jose Bautista: Played for five major-league teams last season. Click photo for larger image. 2005 Spring Training Pirates Notebook: Grieve is making good impression so far Byrnes auditions but not for Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jose Bautista will lose his spot on the Pirates' major-league roster in 2005. Moreover, his demotion could take him all the way down to Class AA.

And he displays nothing but delight when the subject arises.

"Honestly, I don't care. It's better than sitting on the bench and getting to bat once every two weeks," he said with a smile at McKechnie Field. "All I'm looking forward to right now is playing every day and getting as many at-bats as possible. That's all I want."

That and a chance to return to the majors.

Someday.

This time, he would prefer to take the step when he is prepared for it.

Bautista, 24, was plucked from the Pirates' minor-league system by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 draft before last season. A team that takes a Rule 5 player must keep him on its roster all season or forfeit his rights. The Orioles released Bautista in May, and he ended up bouncing from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the Kansas City Royals to the New York Mets before the Mets sent him back to the Pirates July 30 as part of the Kris Benson trade.

"Crazy year," Bautista said.

He learned plenty about major-league life along the way. He studied how teammates approached the game, mentally and physically. He even had a taste of their lifestyle, the fan adulation in massive stadiums, the first-class travel, the catered clubhouses.

What he did not get was an opportunity to join them on the field often. His final numbers: 88 at-bats, .205 average, three doubles, no home runs, two RBIs.

It was, by any reasonable definition, a wasted year. And, when coupled with getting only 188 at-bats in the Pirates' system the previous year because of a broken hand, it is easy to see why Bautista and the Pirates so focused on mere participation as the goal for the summer ahead.

"Plain and simple, he needs to stay healthy and play," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "Young players have to play."

The Pirates have not determined if Bautista will be assigned to Class AAA Indianapolis or Class AA Altoona. He never has played above Class A in the minors, so either would be a step up from the standpoint of a full season's work.

Littlefield said the decision will be based mostly on where Bautista would get the most at-bats but also could be influenced by a desire to build back confidence after a year of watching and waiting. That could drop him to Altoona.

"You want him to have success," Littlefield said. "That's important right now."

The Pirates view Bautista, who has played several positions, as their possible third baseman of the future. But they do so with an asterisk: He will have to bulk up his 6-foot, 190-pound frame and show the power expected from a corner position. If he does not deliver, he likely would switch positions.

In Bautista's most recent full season, 2002, he hit .301 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs in 129 games for Class A Hickory.

"He's got some physical skills, some life in his bat. You watch him take batting practice now and see how he drives the ball," Littlefield said. "But we want him to start hitting a few home runs. One part of that is going to be getting more physically mature than where he is now, which is kind of lean-bodied. The other part is just getting that experience. Hopefully, these things will happen together as he progresses."

If Bautista was shaken to any degree by his experience last year, it is not readily apparent.

"When I'm going good, I know I can play at the highest level," he said. "The difference between a minor-leaguer and a major-leaguer is being able to do the things I can do consistently. And the only way I can get more consistent is to go out there and play every day."

Bautista has gone 1 for 7 at the plate in the early part of spring training, his lone hit a double Tuesday against Valparaiso University.