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It’s Monday afternoon and Jack isn’t the only Bauer on my mind. While he may not be capable of saving the world from terrorists, Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians is certainly capable of saving your fantasy baseball pitching staff. The young Cleveland prospect is getting the call up on Tuesday to replace Danny Salazar in the Indians’ rotation, making him a must-add in all fantasy leagues.
Bauer, once a top-tier prospect, has had his struggles since being taken third overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2011. “Stuff” has never been the issue with Bauer, as he has two elite pitches: an electric fastball that sits in the low-mid 90s with plenty of movement and a curveball that could be one of the best in baseball. In addition to those he also throws an above-average slider and an above-average changeup. Control has been Bauer’s biggest hurdle.
Bauer had 370.2 professional innings under his belt entering 2014. In those 370.2 innings he doled out 175 walks, good for a 4.25 BB/9. So far this season, Bauer has issued just 16 walks in 52 innings between AAA and one MLB start. If Bauer can keep the walks under control — like he has so far this season — he has the talent and the opportunity to become a difference in all fantasy leagues, no matter the format.
The 23-year-old currently boasts a 2.15 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and an 8.61 K/9 after seven AAA starts, and he looks like the future ace that the Diamondbacks thought they drafted three years ago. Bauer is still available in 91 percent of ESPN leagues and in 67 percent of Yahoo! leagues; if he has a strong performance against the potent Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, that number is going to shoot up quickly. If you need help at starting pitching, Trevor Bauer has arrived to save the day.
Billy Moy is a Fantasy Sports writer at www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @william_moy6, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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