SB Nation Arizona - Trevor Bauer Signed By D-backs, First Start Saturday

Daniel Hudson Injury Could Be What Keeps Trevor Bauer In Major Leagues This Season

2012-06-27T13:00:57Z

In what was seen as a big blow to the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitcher Daniel Hudson left Tuesday's start with what is suspected to be an elbow injury, which hopefully is not too serious. He already spent time this season on the disabled list with a shoulder issue and has not been consistently effective in his starts when healthy.

That's the bad news, especially considering the fact that the team was counting on him to be a co-ace on the starting pitching staff with Ian Kennedy (which also hasn't been the case). While nothing is known for sure yet, there is a feeling that is could be pretty bad.

But there is an inkling of possible good news, and that has to do with pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, who will make his major league debut for Arizona on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves.

Hudson's injury could pave the way for Bauer's permanent stay.

Bauer is only getting a start at this point because of a fluky and, honestly, fishy injury to Joe Saunders. It was almost as if the team wanted some sliver of an excuse to get him a start in the big leagues just to see what he has. Saunders' shoulder stiffness is likely nothing serious at all, so he would not miss more than a start or two. Then he would come back and Bauer would have to go back to the minors because he is not suited for coming out of the bullpen.

But what would have happened is Bauer had started once or twice and had been dominant, much like he has been this season in the minors (11-1 record and an ERA in the low twos)? With the buzz and hype he has, it would be very difficult to send him back down, despite not having a spot for him here.

Assuming he pitches well. Saunders comes back from injury and Bauer can stay because Hudson is going to be out indefinitely.

This naturally assumes that Bauer continues with the success he has been having, and that does assume a lot. However, it is not completely unreasonable.

As awful as this injury is for the Hudson and to the team, it could be at least a very small blessing in disguise. It could signal the start to a new pitching era in Arizona -- when Bauer-mania hype and Bauer-mania success meet one another and create a buzz for the team that has not been seen since Randy Johnson toed the hill in his dominant days.

A lot of hyperbole? Yes. It is premature. It is speculative. But it is possible. And it is what fans are hoping with the shadow of doubt that Hudson's elbow is casting on the team's 2012 hopes.

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Trevor Bauer Labors Through 5 Innings In No-Decision

2012-06-20T17:00:29Z

Making his first start since his worst outing of the season, Arizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect bounced back with a slightly better performance, but he still labored through five innings and the Reno Aces, the D-backs'Triple-A affiliate, came away with a victory.

Bauer, who in his previous start allowed 10 hits and four runs in five innings, was unable to pitch into the sixth again. He allowed lots of baserunners, but the only runs that came across the plate were two solo homers he gave up in the third inning.

He went five innings, allowed the two runs, but Tacoma got five hits against him and he walked four. He did strike out sevev, but it took him 105 pitches to get through only five innings.

Reno ended up with a 7-3 win, as they rallied to score five runs in the ninth inning to come away with the win.

One of the things that the Diamondbacks organization is asking Bauer to do better is manage the game. He has to be more efficient with his pitch counts, as he needs to be able to pitch later in games.

All indications are that Bauer will be called up to the majors at some point this season, and the franchise has not had him work out of the bullpen because of his particular warmup routine. However, in the big leagues, you won't last long at all if you can't keep the pitch count low.

Manage the game better, get pitch counts lower, do the little things. They are the same things Bauer needs to continue working on. However, it won't be long until he is working on those from Chase Field.

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Trevor Bauer Struggled In Start This Week

2012-06-17T20:00:12Z

With so much talk about when Arizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect is going to get called up to the major leagues this season, it is easy to forget that he is not going to be completely dominating every single start. Such was the case in his start this past week for the D-backs' Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces. He got the win, improving to 4-0 with Reno and 11-1 overall in both Reno and Double-A Mobile, but he had his least impressive performance this season.

In five innings of work, he allowed four runs on 10 hits. He walked two and only struck out two. He threw 92 pitches, 58 for strikes.

After the fifth inning, the score was tied at four, but his teammates picked him up by adding four runs in the top of the sixth. They went on to win the game 13-5 at home.

This may just be a blip on the radar, but it does show that Bauer is, in fact, mortal, and that he definitely has some things to work on still.

Even still, we know that he will get his chance in the majors some time this season.

He is scheduled to pitch next in Tacoma.

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Trevor Bauer Still Pitching Well in Triple-A Reno

2012-06-03T14:00:31Z

There is one player in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization that gets people just excited and that is pitcher Trevor Bauer. After a lights out start to the season in Double-A Mobile, he was promoted to Reno. The success, although not perfect, has continued.

On Saturday, he made his fourth start for the Aces and ended up with a no decision. However, in what was his worst outing according to his ERA, he gave up three runs in six innings, striking out seven and walking two.

The walks improved from his previous two starts. In his previous two, he walked a total of nine batters.

However, hitters are not having much success, as they are batting a combined .169 against Bauer in Triple-A.

He is now 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA at Reno, with 31 strikeouts and 12 walks in 25 innings.

If that success continues, it will be tough thing to keep him from the major leagues this season.

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Trevor Bauer Outstanding In Reno Debut, Strikes Out 11 In Win

2012-05-19T15:00:22Z

Trevor Bauer, the right-handed prize pitching prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks started his Triple-A Reno career in great form. He got a win and he pitched dominantly. He dominated the Double-A Southern League in his first eight starts, winning seven and striking out 60 batters in just over 48 innings. That, of course was in the pitching friendly Southern League.

Friday night he debuted for the Reno Aces in a stadium known for offense. All he did was pitch eight innings of four-hit ball, striking out 11 batters.

He allowed a single run, a leadoff homer in the eighth inning. He threw 113 pitches, 73 for strikes. The eight innings he threw were the most in a game this season for him.

The Aces got the win, 2-1 over the Oklahoma City RedHawks.

This is exactly the dominating performance that could get him to the big leagues before the end of this season, especially if Arizona's fortunes in the division race do not improve.

While he has improvement in some facets of the game not related directly to pitching, if he keeps dominating like this, it will be impossible to keep him in the minor leagues.

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Diamondbacks Promote Trevor Bauer to Triple-A Reno

2012-05-17T18:06:13Z

According to Foxsports.com beat writer Jack Magruder the Arizona Diamondbacks have made the decision to promote 2011 first-round draft pick Trevor Bauer up to Triple-A Reno, who is blazing a trail for himself through the Arizona farm system, now finding only one step from the Show.

Per Jack Magruder on Twitter:

#Dbacks confirm Bauer will move to Reno. It is has not happened, it will happen later today. Bauer, 7-1, 1.68 at Mobile. Was to start today.
— Jack Magruder (@JackMagruder) May 17, 2012

Bauer, 21, has made only 22 starts in his minor league career, but is simply to good to keep down for long. If he has some good showings in Reno, he could be on his way to Arizona sooner than later.

He'll make his Triple-A debut on Friday against the Oklahoma City Redhawks.

For more in depth discussion and analysis of the Arizona Diamondbacks, make sure that you check out AZ Snake Pit as well as SB Nation Arizona. For more on Minor League prospects, check out Minor League Ball, and for more on The MLB in general, head over to SB Nation's dedicated baseball hub, Baseball Nation.

Trevor Bauer Signs With Diamondbacks, Fast Track To Majors Possible

2011-07-26T00:26:27Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed their prize pick from the 2011 MLB Draft, Trevor Bauer. Bauer was taken third overall after putting up better numbers at UCLA than his teammate, first pick Gerrit Cole. The D-backs are on the road in San Diego but they held a press conference at the ball park Monday to introduce Bauer to the local media.

Bauer reports Tuesday to Single-A Advanced Visalia and will get his first start on Saturday. He'll be limited to two innings or 40 pitches in his first start to account for all the time he's add off since last throwing for UCLA on June 4 (9 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 1 ER).

The terms of Bauer's deal haven't been officially disclosed but were reported to be $7 million over four years. He did allow that he would going to splurge on some "good food" but has no plans to buy a car or other expensive items.

"I wanted to sign as quickly as possible and go out and pitch," Bauer said. He was very complimentary of the Diamondback's organization and how the process has been handled.

As for his plans with the team, performance will dictate how fast he'll progress through the system.

"When you are talented as Trevor is, anything's possible," Senior Vice President, Scouting & Player Development Jerry Dipoto said. He added that giving Bauer a major league contract right away (he's on the 40-man roster) is a sign of how close he is to being able to contribute at the major league level.

(Photo by Jody Jackson, Fox Sports Arizona via twitter)

Full Press Conference Audio

Diamondbacks Get Top Grades in MLB Draft

2011-06-09T18:25:28Z

When you stop a moment and reflect, it really is remarkable what Kevin Towers and the new Diamondback front office are pulling off in downtown Phoenix. Consider this: 365 days ago this team was a social pariah. No one came to the stadium, no one watched the telecasts, no one cared. And for good reason. A clubhouse filled youngers that had lost their focus on the game, a general manager smugly garnishing his fat contract with bad decision after bad decision, a starting rotation without an identity, and a bullpen as intimidating as a bowl of strawberry ice cream. Arizona had every right to feel disenfranchised with this team.

But look at the snakes now. A team that overachieves at every level, purely because they focus on doing things the right way. They grind, they scrap, they work as hard as they can, and they win. After the most depressing year of Phoenix sports in recent memory, the D-Backs have provided an incredibly welcome respite from the doldrums of incompetence that permeates through this desert state.

Somehow, someway, the Diamondbacks have accomplished the two primary underpinnings of any sports franchise, simultaneously. The team has been reborn into a viable competitor, capable of winning games now, while at the same time -- and most importantly -- a foundation for a prosperous future has been planted, seemingly overnight.

As someone accustomed to a certain degree of ineffective leadership from my sports teams, it is the most joyous sight these eyes can grasp to read Arizona's name ranked first on MLB.com's Draft rankings. In Trevor Bauer, Archie Bradley, Andrew Chafin, Anthony Meo, Justin Bianco, Evan Marshall, and Kyle Winkler this fan see the truest signs of hope for this embittered sports culture. Hope, not that all these youngsters will transform into All-Stars -- though there is plenty of that -- but that Kevin Towers & Co. have a plan. Not just flying by the seat of your pants, making every flippant transaction that comes across your desk, and wishing for the best. A real plan. The words sound foreign, yet strangely comforting.

Hope springs eternal in the life of a sports fan. Every year is "the year". Every deal is "the deal". Every player is "the player". That nagging conviction tugging at the back of our head is our lifeblood, the drug that keeps us in this painful pursuit. Cynicism will set in sooner or later; it always does. But for now, this is our moment. We can rejoice with the knowledge that we have a leader who we can follow into the good night; a leader who will give us a chance. The ride is sure to be bumpy, but let's enjoy it while we can.

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting your 2014 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.