Trevor Bauer

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #3 prospect in 2014
  Bauer came into pro ball fresh off winning the Baseball America College Player of the Year Award and the Golden Spikes Award when the Diamondbacks made him the third overall pick in 2011. However, his pro career hasn't gone the way most envisioned. He wore out his welcome in Arizona, which parted with him in a three-team deal in December 2012, with Bauer going to the Indians. He languished at Triple-A Columbus in 2013, his numbers and stuff declining across the board from the year before, and he made a scant four appearances in Cleveland. Bauer takes an intellectual approach, studying biomechanics to carefully craft his delivery, but it got out of whack last season as he tried to compensate for a groin injury. His stride got shorter, his finish was more upright and he wasn't able to get the same depth and leverage on his pitches. His fastball has some slight tailing movement, sitting in the low 90s and hitting 95 mph when he needs it to. Bauer still shows wipeout secondary stuff. He has two plus pitches in his curveball with late downward break and his sinking changeup. He can mix in a usable slider as well. However, Bauer relied too heavily on his breaking stuff last season, struggled to command his fastball and constantly fell behind in counts. He needs to trust his fastball more and get his delivery back in order so he can command it down in the zone. At times Bauer still looks like a frontline arm, but skeptics who doubted he could hold up with his diligent throwing program at the professional level had some vindication in 2013. He likely will begin 2014 back in Triple-A Columbus, barring a spectacular spring training.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #2 prospect in 2013
  Bauer had a storied career at UCLA, setting Bruins career records for wins (34) and whiffs (460) while topping NCAA Division I in strikeouts in consecutive seasons. He won the Baseball America College Player of the Year and Golden Spikes awards in 2011, when the Diamondbacks made him the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and signed him to a big league contract with a $3.4 million bonus and $4.45 million in guarantees. In his first full pro season, Bauer ranked as the Southern League's top prospect, made his big league debut in June and helped Reno win the Pacific Coast League playoffs and the Triple-A National Championship. But his unconventional approach, which includes extreme long-tossing and the desire to call his own pitches, drew criticism from teammates and even owner Ken Kendrick. Bauer lasted just four starts in his first shot at the major leagues, but he still has outstanding stuff. His mid-90s four-seam fastball touches 96 mph and bores in on righthanders. Both it and his hard curveball grade as plus-plus pitches. He also uses a splitter, slider and changeup, all of which are at least average pitches. Bauer needs to refine his plan on the mound. He gets caught up trying to strike out every hitter, which leads to control issues and high pitch counts. Rather than trying to make each pitch perfect, he just needs to trust his stuff. He puts considerable effort into each pitch, but his delivery works for him and adds deception. Bauer will get a fresh start in spring training and a chance to break camp in Arizona rotation. He needs to make some adjustments but has all the ingredients to be a No. 1 starter.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #1 prospect in 2012
  Bauer earned all-state honors as a junior at Hart High (Newhall, Calif.) before deciding to tackle a bigger challenge, graduating in December of his senior year and enrolling early at UCLA. He immediately became the Bruins' best pitcher, going 34-8, 2.36 in three seasons and setting school records for career wins, strikeouts (460) and innings (373). He led NCAA Division I in strikeouts in both 2010 and 2011, breaking Mark Prior's Pacific-10 Conference record with 203 last spring. Bauer won both Baseball America's College Player of the Year award and USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award in 2011. He and Gerrit Cole became the second pair of teammates ever to go in the first three picks in a draft, with the Pirates selecting Cole No. 1 overall and the Diamondbacks taking Bauer at No. 3. Bauer became the first of the 2011's draft elite prospects to sign, agreeing to a four-year major league contract in July. The deal includes a $3.4 million bonus and $4.45 million in guarantees, and he could earn as much as $7 million if he quickly reaches the majors to stay. He's expected to do just that, needing just three starts at high Class A Visalia to earn a promotion to Double-A Mobile. He looked a little tired at times with the BayBears, but he tossed five innings of one-run ball to clinch the Southern League championship. Bauer takes an unconventional approach to pitching, studying advanced concepts like biomechanics, effective velocity and pitch tunneling. He has a tremendous work ethic and a drive to succeed. He adheres to an extreme long-toss regimen, throwing at distances up to 400 feet, and works out with rubber tubes before and during his starts. Bauer has drawn a lot of attention for his unorthodox style, sometimes overshadowing the quality of his stuff. He generates 92-98 mph fastballs with extreme torque, not unlike Tim Lincecum, and usually sits at 94-95. His best pitch is his plus-plus curveball, a 12-to-6 downer that plays off the plane of his fastball. He has an extremely deep repertoire that features a plus slider, an above-average changeup and a solid splitter. He's also working on a pitch that he calls "The Bird," a zone-crossing slurve that he's making up as he goes along. Though he's not physically imposing, Bauer has conditioned himself to handle heavy workloads and completed his last nine starts for UCLA. He generally throws strikes but can be more efficient with his pitch counts, something that should happen once he become less conscious about piling up strikeouts. He puts considerable effort into each pitch, though he has a loose arm and a very efficient delivery that adds deception. Arizona signed Bauer before the Aug. 15 deadline with the thought he could contribute in September or the playoffs, but decided to shut him down after the Southern League postseason. He'll report to big league camp with a legitimate chance to earn a spot in the big league rotation, if not on Opening Day then quite likely by the second half of the season. He not only has top-of-the-rotation potential, but his approach is so revolutionary that his success in the majors could cause teams to rethink how they condition and develop young pitchers.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #16 prospect in 2013
  A teammate of No. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole?s at UCLA, Bauer went two picks later in the same 2011 draft to the Diamondbacks. The Indians acquired him last December in the three-team deal in which they traded Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds. Both Bauer?s stuff and results took a step backward in 2013, and the Indians didn?t even bother to call him up in September after he skated around trouble with a 1.58 WHIP and 1.5 K-BB ratio at Columbus. In four starts for Cleveland during the season, he allowed 11 runs and 16 walks in 17 innings. Bauer sat in the low 90s with his fastball, down from last year, and struggled to control it, which either put him behind in the count or compelled him to pitch backward. His secondary pitches grade out more favorably?his curveball features consistent plus break in the mid-70s and he has feel for his changeup and slider?but locating those pitches was another matter. Big league batters didn?t miss Bauer?s mistakes as often as Triple-A ones, so he needs better fastball command to more effectively deploy his curve and changeup. If he does, he could be a mid-rotation arm.
• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #3 prospect in 2012
  The third overall pick in 2011, Bauer reached Triple-A in mid-May and became the first player from his draft class to make his major league debut in June. He returned to Tucson after four big league starts and won twice in the playoffs to help Reno win its first PCL championship since the franchise moved from Arizona in 2009. Bauer's workouts are unorthodox, highlighted by pole-to-pole long-toss sessions, but it's hard to argue with the results. His fastball sits in the low 90s and gets up to 96 mph, boring in on righthanders. His curveball gives him a second possible plus-plus offering, and his splitter, slider and changeup all have average or better potential. Bauer's approach can get him into trouble, however. He can overthink himself at times and has been susceptible to walks and leaving pitches up in the zone. If he can harness his control and command by attacking hitters more often and not being too fine, he has the ceiling of a No. 1 starter.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #1 prospect in 2012
  The No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Bauer finished his first pro season by winning the clincher in the SL playoffs. He returned to Mobile to start this season and dominated in eight starts before moving on to Triple-A and eventually the majors. Bauer's quirky workouts sometimes overshadow the fact that he has No. 1 starter stuff. His two best pitches are a 90-96 mph fastball with boring life and a hard curveball, both of which grade as 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale at their best. He also can get outs with his splitter, slider and changeup, though he has problems keeping his walks and pitch counts down. "He takes his pitch counts real high," Mobile manager Turner Ward said. "He's not used to having a pitch count. That's something he has to learn to deal with."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #83 prospect in 2014
• Ranked Baseball America's #14 prospect in 2013
• Ranked Baseball America's #9 prospect in 2012

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Bauer earned all-state honors as a junior at Hart High (Newhall, Calif.) before deciding to tackle a bigger challenge, graduating in December of his senior year and enrolling early at UCLA. He immediately became the Bruins' best pitcher, going 34-8, 2.36 in three seasons and setting school records for career wins, strikeouts (460) and innings (373). He led NCAA Division I in strikeouts in both 2010 and 2011, breaking Mark Prior's Pacific-10 Conference record with 203 last spring. Bauer won both Baseball America's College Player of the Year award and USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award in 2011. He and Gerrit Cole became the second pair of teammates ever to go in the first three picks in a draft. Bauer became the first of the 2011's draft elite prospects to sign, agreeing to a four-year major league contract in July. The deal includes a $3.4 million bonus and $4.45 million in guarantees, and he could earn as much as $7 million if he quickly reaches the majors to stay. He's expected to do just that, needing just three starts at high Class A Visalia to earn a promotion to Double-A Mobile. He looked a little tired at times with the BayBears, but he tossed five innings of one-run ball to clinch the Southern League championship. Scouting Report: Bauer takes an unconventional approach to pitching, studying advanced concepts like biomechanics, effective velocity and pitch tunneling. He has a tremendous work ethic and a drive to succeed. He adheres to an extreme long-toss regimen, throwing at distances up to 400 feet, and works out with rubber tubes before and during his starts. Bauer has drawn a lot of attention for his unorthodox style, sometimes overshadowing the quality of his stuff. He generates 92-98 mph fastballs with extreme torque, not unlike Tim Lincecum, and usually sits at 94-95. His best pitch is his plus-plus curveball, a 12-to-6 downer that plays off the plane of his fastball. He has an extremely deep repertoire that features a plus slider, an above-average changeup and a solid splitter. He's also working on a pitch that he calls "The Bird," a zone-crossing slurve that he's making up as he goes along. Though he's not physically imposing, Bauer has conditioned himself to handle heavy workloads and completed his last nine starts for UCLA. He generally throws strikes but can be more efficient with his pitch counts, something that should happen once he become less conscious about piling up strikeouts. He puts considerable effort into each pitch, though he has a loose arm and a very efficient delivery. The Future: Arizona signed Bauer before the Aug. 15 deadline with the thought he could contribute in September or the playoffs, but decided to shut him down after the Southern League postseason. He'll report to big league camp with a legitimate chance to earn a spot in the big league rotation, if not on Opening Day then quite likely by the second half of the season. He not only has top-of-the-rotation potential, but his approach is so revolutionary that his success in the majors could cause teams to rethink how they condition and develop young pitchers.