Why Trevor Bauer is the perfect fit in Cleveland
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By Staff Report January 15, 2013
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When the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to include Trevor Bauer in a deal this offseason that sent him to the Cleveland Indians, many inside baseball thought that something had to have gone terribly wrong between the pitcher and his old team. No one may ever know the truth, but in Cleveland’s case, they are saying nothing but positive things about their top pitching prospect now.
Coming out of UCLA, Bauer was praised for having extraordinary stuff. The easy comparison for most was to Tim Lincecum, but Bauer is a bigger and stronger pitcher who has one of the strongest arms scouts have seen in a long time.
When Arizona called him up for his first taste of MLB action last year, Bauer experienced mixed results. This was something the right-hander never really experienced in his life. A 1-2 record with a 6.06 ERA looks terrible, but that small sample size covers just four starts and 16.1 innings.
In the minor leagues, Bauer was 13-4 with a 3.00 ERA in his 29 starts. His 200 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched shows that he is more than capable of getting guys out with his impressive repertoire of pitches and could make him a fantasy baseball starter. The main issue between him and the Diamondbacks seemed to have been the method to his madness.
From pitching in-between outings to long toss that usually extended to foul pole to foul pole, Bauer was known as a bit of a legend when it comes to his unique ways. That is why it makes perfect sense for the Indians, who now have a new manager in Terry Francona, to take a chance on the young and talented pitcher. This is a guy who was able to lead a team full of characters in the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series. Bauer is no different than any other character that has been thrown Francona’s way at some point in time in his career.
Cleveland is trying to build up their franchise with a strong core of young players. It might be unfair to label Bauer as a potential ace this early in his career, but he has the chance to evolve into one. If that is the case, Cleveland will be more than willing to let Bauer do whatever he wants to prepare for his next start.
