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Draft  | Top Prospects  | 5/18/2011

50 in 50: Trevor Bauer

Patrick Ebert     
Photo: UCLA

Trevor Bauer
RHP / UCLA

Bats-Throws:
R-R
Height/Weight: 6-2/185
Hometown: Valencia, Calif.
Previously Drafted: Never Drafted
Birthdate: January 17, 1991

SCOUTING PROFILE:
Trevor Bauer didn't arrive at UCLA with the same amount of fanfare that his weekend rotation mate Gerrit Cole did, but after being one of the spotlights of the 2010 College World Series, following that up with an incredibly dominant junior campaign, he stands to leave with a lot more accolades. Bauer is already UCLA's all-time leader in wins (currently at 31), innings pitched (346.1) and strikeouts (424), passing former Bruin Alex Sanchez in all three categories this season. Through the weekend games played as of May 15, he is currently leading the nation in strikeouts (167) for the second consecutive year, already passing the 165 strikeouts he posted a year ago. The closest person to him in that category is Virginia's Danny Hultzen with 121. Overall on the year he is 10-2 in thirteen starts with a 1.40 ERA, taking a no-decision against Nebraska in a 17-strikeout performance over 10 innings, and a loss against Oregon State in which he gave up only two runs in a complete game effort opposite a no-hitter thrown by surging draft prospect Josh Osich. Bauer was named a freshman All-American in what was effectively his senior year in high school after graduating from Hart High School in December, allowing him to enroll early at UCLA. He entered the season coming out of the bullpen, making 10 appearances before being inserted into a mid-week starting role. By April he was a member of the weekend rotation, and he has continued to improve during his college career. Tim Lincecum comparisons are common for Bauer, who has a similar slight build and exaggerated mechanics, generating a tremendous amount of momentum from his legs and hips up through his upper body. His in-game rituals are interesting to watch, as he long-tosses from foul pole to foul pole and throws in the bullpen between innings. His velocity has continued to improve as he adheres to a very strict conditioning program that focuses on resistance training and flexibility. He came to UCLA sitting in the upper-80s with the ability to pitching in the low-90s. Last year he sat in the low-90s with the ability to touch 94. This year he can sit in the 94-96 range early in games, touching 97, settling back into the 91-93 range late in games. Pitching deep into games is common for Bauer, tossing seven complete games this year, frequently accumulating lofty pitch counts well over 100. It hasn't seemed to have altered his effectiveness, and he does a great job staying focused and game-planning from start-to-start. In addition to his fastball, he also throws a big, slow curveball, a slider, a “reverse slider” that breaks in on right-handed hitters, a changeup and a split-fingered fastball. During the course of a game, he will change which secondary pitch he uses to complement his fastball on an inning-by-inning basis, or based on what time he has pitched through the batting order. Once considered a poor man's version of Lincecum, his continued dominance at the college level has his name more and more frequently mentioned among teams with a pick in the top five to 10 overall selections.

Projected Draft Position:
First round / top 5-10 picks.

Perfect Game Events Attended:
    2008 WWBA 2009 Grads or 17u National Championship