Trevor Bauer Scouting Report

Trevor Bauer has been drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and has already been signed.

This is Part 8 in a series previewing 12 potential players for the Orioles’ #4 overall selection in the 2011 draft. The full series:

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
2. Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
3. Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
4. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
5. Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgie Tech
6. Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kan.
7. Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy HS, Fla.
8. Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
9. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS, Okl.
10. George Springer, OF, Connecticut
11. Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, S. Car.
12. Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Okl.

Trevor Bauer has had an extremely high workload at UCLA that has scared many teams off his radar, as he routinely throws 125 pitches an outing (sometimes 140+). He is from the school of thought in Southern California that will go up to 300 ft. in long tossing sessions. He, along with Dylan Bundy, are workout warriors of this draft class. On stuff alone, few prospects match Bauer’s ability on the hill. Bauer could be the toast of this draft, and no team wants to lose a pitcher because they paused over an un-orthodox and un-conventional delivery. He should be on the Orioles’ short list of players to select at #4.

School: UCLA
Position: RHP
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 185
Body: Slender/wiry athletic, long limbs, solid hip development. Will continue to grow as he matures, and should stand to put on 10-15 pounds overtime.

Fastball

On stuff alone, few prospects match Trevor Bauer's ability on the hill.

Bauer mixes a two-seam and four-seam fastball, as most do these days. His two-seamer runs from 91-93 mph with some nice late sinking action. His four-seam fastball runs 94-95 mph and can reach up to 97 mph at times. The high slot and arm action allows for his fastball to run in with movement on right handed hitters; it always comes heavy and hardly comes out flat. The high slot, along with the height and long stride, helps it comes from a hard angle that makes his fastball effective. Heavy and constant movement give this pitch solid plus rating.

Curveball

Since he comes from a high slot, Bauer’s curveball is his best secondary pitch. It has true 12/6 break and comes down sharp with bite running in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. His curve is best when working 77-78 mph, and is likely the best pitch in his arsenal at the moment. Once he tries to pick up speed and throw the power curve, he loses command of the pitch and sometimes control goes out the window. Bauer tends to keep his curve down and you rarely see him float it in the zone. There is no fear in the pitch and Bauer works it evenly against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, and works it to both sides of the plate.

Change Up

As with most amateur players, Bauer will need to refine his change up in order to become a complete starter. His change runs 81-83 mph and has some slight sink action. The offering has some projection, but currently it is simply a change of pace pitch to keep hitters honest.

Mechanics

Teams drool at his makeup, but quickly pause when Bauer’s mechanics are brought to the discussion. He has a slightly un-orthodox approach to the plate with a rocking style similar to Tim Lincecum, but it really reminds me of the throwback styles from the golden age of baseball.

Bauer’s loading phase is a combo of rocked hands. He brings his hands down while his arm goes through a long arc in the back (almost behind him). His glove side is high in a wheel house motion, along the lines of a modified “Crow Hop”. As the arc continues, he gets his hand and forearm facing in the correct path which minimizes impact. As he transitions phases, his elbows are well below the shoulder girdle and should not place a massive amount of pressure to either joint in his arm. He does not quite tuck the glove as most pitchers, or hold it out as Cole routinely does in his delivery, but it falls somewhere in the hybrid of the two.

He gets a great push from the lower half and his long stride helps gain full maximum effort from the lower body. I see some suggest that his stride is short, but I always see it longer than the glove and he gets solid separation that it is not a concern with me. He generates a nice torque through the midsection. The solid rotation and lower drive allows him to throw maximum effort without looking maxed from his upper body.

I do take a quick pause with his follow through, as he lands with the knee bent, but pulls up rather quickly getting slightly stiff and slowly whips his back leg towards home. I would like to see him keep that slight bend throughout the motion because the torque can be difficult as it is repeated over years of pitching. It is nothing to limit him on the mound because he gets great extension of the upper body towards the plate, and I am just knit picking to hopefully save his knee as he ages.

With Bauer, I see a non-traditional approach to the plate, but some aspects that make me feel it is a motion that is likely sustainable. My only concern with the extended loading phase is that he must maintain the proper sequencing or control and his command can be troublesome, which is the reason why he generates high pitch counts.

Command/Control

I am on the fence long term with his control because others pitchers showing similar traits have learned to refine the elongated loading phase with fairly accurate results. The elongated loading phase will always make consistency difficult because it is a true synchronization aspect of his delivery. He has high pitch counts and it is a journey to complete innings and games. If he showed some control, I would not see a 140 pitch outing as often.

Bauer does a great job commanding the curveball as he constantly gets the break and location in the zone. His fastball has some life at the moment and sometimes it works outside the zone. Sometimes the ball goes where he wants it and other times it rides too much off the plate. As I said before, this can be refined as he learns to trust his stuff and refine his delivery. I think throttling back at times would improve the fastball; reaching 96-97 mph is great, but at the expense of losing command it may not always be worth it.

He could be a guy to walk 4 or 5 hitters a game or he could be another Cy Young type pitcher with non-traditional mechanics. It is a big gamble because it is the difference between a front line pitcher and someone in the back of the rotation, which is the reason he is not the consensus top prospect in this draft. His stuff is not in question, it is his combination of control and command that would drop him down the board (pitch counts not withstanding).

Intangibles

As with Dylan Bundy, you would be drafting a gym rat that eats, sleeps, and completely revolves around baseball. Bauer is a workout warrior that seems to have no quit in him. He watches hours and hours of film on himself and his opposition. Guys like this are eager to learn and most likely will be a sponge that soak up pitching knowledge. They typically want to succeed and failure is not in their vocabulary. When you get the chance to draft these types it makes everyone’s job that much easier.

Bauer is ultra competitive and wants to pitch a complete game every time out. I have not seen him frustrated too often, even when things are not working in his favor. A guy with an unlimited hunger for the game with a solid skill set could make him a human hardware collector on the mound.

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This is Part 8 in a series previewing 12 potential players for the Orioles’ #4 overall selection in the 2011 draft. The full series:

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
2. Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
3. Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
4. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
5. Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgie Tech
6. Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kan.
7. Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy HS, Fla.
8. Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
9. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS, Okl.
10. George Springer, OF, Connecticut
11. Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, S. Car.
12. Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Okl.