Yesterday morning my wife Ginny was reading the paper and kind of shocked me when she read that Diamondbacks’ former first round pick Trevor Bauer had been traded to Cleveland. Shocked but not surprised. I could see it coming.
Let me be clear on one thing. I like the way Trevor Bauer pitches. I like his style and his explosive delivery and I hope he succeeds.
However, I did not see the 97 mph fastball or good control when he was called up this year. What I saw was mostly a 92 mph fastball and a very good curve ball with poor command. Some of that may have been nerves, but not according to Bauer.
I think Trevor Bauer has some lessons to learn about baseball and life, but that is just his immaturity. And maybe the cause of his arrogance and unwillingness to listen to others, including the organization that gave him $3.5 million and his first opportunity.
But I will bet over time he will get over all of that, mature and understand he is just another MLB pitcher trying to do the best he can for the team first and himself second. I am not sure he gets that one right now. And he will probably succeed as an MLB pitcher once he matures.
Apparently, Bauer has been doing his extreme pregame type “training” routine since he was 14. He obviously believes it has worked for him.
Here’s Something Else the AZ Republic Stated
Pitching takes place on the mound…not in the outfield
“Bauer is a smart supremely confident guy. He majored in mechanical engineering at UCLA and has well-thought-out reasons behind all of the out-of-the-box stuff that he does.”
Now here’s where I differ with the opinion of the AZ Republic writer Bob Young.
Trevor Bauer is just another belief-based pitcher who was convinced years ago that his form of pregame training is beneficial to his pitching. His mechanical engineering major did not provide him with the knowledge of sport science training or movement principles.
There is no evidence right now in sports science to back up what Trevor Bauer is doing as a pregame routine. In fact, I believe most sport scientists would just shake their heads in disbelief that any professional team would allow such pregame nonsense.
What Bauer is doing during his pregame extreme routine is actually training rather than simply warming up. Training creates fatigue, something a pitcher does not want prior to pitching against MLB millionaire hitters.
Here is What USA Today Sports Writer Bob Nightengale Had to Say
Six months ago, Trevor Bauer was making his celebrated major-league debut, a year after the Arizona Diamondbacks took him with the third pick in the draft. He was going to be a star. Certainly the ace of the staff.
His personal coach and long-toss guru, Alan Jaeger, predicted Bauer would be a multiple Cy Young Award winner.
The Diamondbacks made it clear Tuesday night they hardly share the same sentiments.
Long Toss Proven To Increase Elbow Stress – But Who Is Listening?
The Diamondbacks have every right to tell Trevor Bauer that his extreme long toss routine is not beneficial for him since the 2010 study by the American Sports Medicine Institute confirmed long toss of 180 ft or more is more stressful on the elbow. Plus, long toss provides no positive benefit for mechanics and obviously does not reduce the risk of injury.
Why then do pitchers keep doing it? I think it may be that not only can they not release their deep-seated beliefs but that long toss has a placebo effect – pitchers think it makes them feel better. They have been taught to believe that.
However, you either listen to real scientific and medical proof or you get to wave goodbye.
Is Major League Baseball Doing Any Deductive Thinking Or Reasoning About Long Toss?
Where, then, is Major League Baseball on this issue? Is long toss on their radar as a possible problem for pitchers? It should be. But they seem to be blind. Really blind when it should looking them straight in the eye, especially when almost every week during the season there are 100 pitchers on the disabled list.
The Rangers had two top line pitchers have surgery this year. The Rangers are big long toss advocates as are most other clubs.
However, what they are doing is building better throwers but fewer good pitchers with command of all their pitches. Command is dismal at the MLB level and hitters know it.
What Trevor Bauer and any other MLB or amateur pitchers like about long toss is that they have been convinced over time that it is beneficial. However, let’s be very clear on this on this one thing – there is NO evidence that long toss provides any benefit for helping pitchers improve there performance. NONE!
The only benefit long toss may have is to be part of an overall off-season full-body conditioning routine. Maybe.
I will be speaking on this topic at the upcoming 31st annual American Sports Medicine Institutes Baseball Injuries Conference January 25-27th in Phoenix.
Now… why was Trevor Bauer traded?
I think it was a combination of things as was mentioned in the Arizona Republic article today:
1. When he was called up this season after being the Diamondbacks’ top minor league pitcher he had poor command of his pitches
2. He told reporters that he wanted a meeting with veteran catcher Miguel Montero about how to call his game. (Not the best way to get on the same page with your catcher who is an MLB veteran when you are a rookie.)
3. One of the Diamondbacks’ owners, Ken Kendrick, said to a local radio talk show host regarding Bauer, “He is the employee and in an employer-employee situation, it’s incumbent on the employee to make adjustments to satisfy the needs of the employer.” (In the professional world this is called insubordination and can have a severe penalty – being fired.)
So it might seem that the Diamondbacks probably approached Trevor Bauer about toning down his extreme pregame routine of yoga, full-body exercises, tubing and 400 plus multiple sets of long toss. He would do all that just to get ready to pitch in a game when all that is needed is a full-body and arm warm-up routine and a bullpen to get all your pitchers crisp so you can throw at least 100 pitches per game and be successful.
I think that conversation may have occurred but I think it was rejected by Bauer. We will see if the truth ever comes out.
One person who is probably relieved about this news – Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. What teams do not want are personality conflicts between pitchers and catchers. That does not produce a winning attitude.
Miguel Montero is a professional; Bauer will have to mature and learn how to be one.
I have written probably more than anyone about and against long toss or long distance throwing programs. I will continue my advocacy against it.
We need more healthy pitchers and fewer injured long distance throwers.
If you are interested in hearing Dick Mills speak he will be speaking at the 31st annual American Sports Medicine Institutes Baseball Injuries Conference in Phoenix January 25-27th.
Dick Mills is considered to be the first instructor to advocate videotaping as the only possible way to gain accurate feedback to help pitchers improve their mechanics and velocity.
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