Game MVP: Trevor Bauer [5/13/13]G2

Continuing the MVP Series, the MVP of the second half of Monday’s doubleheader is Trevor Bauer.  To get your Trevor Bauer MVP virtual card, send me an e-mail to thejake4eternity@gmail.com with the phrase “BauerOutage” in the subject line.

Trevor Bauer

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

MVP Rating:  Impact

Game Stats:

• 6.1 innings pitched, 2 earned runs (2.84 ERA)
• 4 strikeouts, 2 walks (2.0 K:BB ratio)
• 27 batters faced, 15 first-pitch strikes (55.5%)
• 60 of 103 overall pitches for strikes (58.2%)
• Game Score: 53

Details:

Trevor Bauer was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, and the first in his class to reach the major leagues.  He fell out of favor with the Diamondbacks organization due to an unusual warm-up routine and reportedly being difficult to work with. After being the key return in the Shin-Soo Choo trade with the Reds and Diamondbacks, we haven’t experienced many of those negatives.  Bauer has made three starts for the Indians this year, and although he has some incredible stuff, the issue so far in Cleveland has been his walks.  In his first outing of 2013, he walked the first four batters of the game, and came into Monday’s game having issued a free pass to almost a batter per inning in his major league career.

Though his game stats may not reflect anything remarkable, the improvements we saw in Monday’s game were exciting.  He walked only two batters, and though he gave up three runs, one was unearned and another can easily be blamed on Nick Hagadone, who let an inherited runner score along with a few of his than in just a third of an inning.  Bauer showed big improvements in his last outing as he threw a lot more strikes and went over six innings, something he hadn’t yet done with the indians.  Expect to see Trevor Bauer enter the rotation on a more permanent basis at some point this year, and for him to be a major impact arm at the top of the rotation in the future.