It was four MLB seasons ago that the Los Angeles Dodgers released Trevor Bauer, and the pitcher’s livelihood remains in limbo.
Bauer is looking for a break that will hopefully lead him back to throwing baseballs at the highest level. Yet, opportunities have been put on hold—again.
A few weeks back, while in Arizona getting treatment for back spasms that landed him on the injured list with the Long Island Ducks, the latest club to take a flyer on the former Cy Young Award winner, Bauer was involved in an auto accident. He managed to avoid serious injury, and was not hospitalized.
Joining the Ducks in April gave Bauer, 35, another season to audition for MLB scouts. The Atlantic League, an independent, 10-team group based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is where pros in-between MLB commitments, as well as college standouts hoping to catch a scout’s eye for a minor league contract come to play.
Signing Bauer, whose resume checks off World Series play, a 2018 All-Star Game selection, and being named the National League’s best pitcher in 2020, made media headlines for the Ducks. When it was announced that 10-season pro would be the Opening Night starter against the Hagerstown (Md.) Flying Box Cars, his celebrity resulted in a crowd of 6,896 at the Ducks’ ballpark in Central Islip, New York. where seating capacity is 6,002.
Since his release from the Dodgers in January 2023, Bauer has tried globetrotting in an effort to prove to himself and to those checking that he is worthy of another crack at the major leagues. In 2023, it was with Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League’s Yokohama Bay Stars that Bauer caught lightning in a bottle by striking out 130 batters in 130.2 innings’ work.
When 2024 came around, Bauer was off to the Mexican Baseball League, hurling for the Mexico City Diablos Rojos. His 10–0 record earned Bauer recognition as the league’s pitcher of the year, along with the Diablos Rojos celebrating with a league championship. Last season, Bauer was back in Japan, this time with the Yomiuri Giants.
During the first two months of the Ducks season, Bauer has dominated opposing batters as he did during his Cy Young season with the 2020 Cincinnati Reds. On April 26, Bauer spun a seven-inning no hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against the Lancaster Stormers. On May 12, Bauer set a franchise record by striking out 15 batters over eight innings while besting the Gastonia Ghost Peppers 6–3.
Bobby Blevins, 41, is in his third season as the Ducks pitching coach, and Bauer’s latest pitching whisperer. He offered a glowing analysis on Bauer’s presence in the clubhouse, and gave high marks for his work ethic.
“I pretty much introduced him to the pitchers. We have this thing that when we get a new pitcher, they come down the tunnel, and everyone gives them a high-five. [Bauer] has a very structured routine that has created success. Then, we concentrate on the recovery after a start. All stages of pitching we go over,” Blevins told The Epoch Times during a phone conversation on Thursday from Waldorf, Maryland, where the Ducks played a road night game with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
Bauer had jumped from team to team over the past four seasons apparently due to being persona non grata within the MLB circles. In 2021 Bauer agreed to a three-year, $102 million contract to pitch for the Dodgers. In April 2022, Bauer was initially suspended by MLB for 324 games. After an appeal, Bauer’s penalty was reduced to 194 games in December 2022. Following the arbitrator’s decision, Bauer was reinstated. The suspension came after Bauer was accused of violating MLB’s Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. No criminal charges were filed against Bauer. He was never arrested or convicted of wrongdoing.
“I was humbled when I learned that Bauer was signing,” Blevins said. “Having the opportunity to support him is my job. He made a choice to come here. I want to be the person who embraces every situation, and thinks positively. His story is an unfortunate series of events.”
Bauer’s 4–1 record and 2.43 ERA speak well for Blevins’ collective coaching achievements thus far this season. Ducks’ pitching boasts a league-leading 4.48 ERA, and is tops in the Atlantic League with his staff’s batting average against opposing teams at 2.46. Currently, the Ducks are in third place in the Northern Division; 4.5 games behind Lancaster. There’s no hint of panic in Blevins’ voice as he and the rest of the Ducks roster wait for updates on when their pitching ace could return to Long Island.
“[Bauer] can get outs,” Blevins declared. “At first, everybody was stargazing a little bit. Our pitchers watch his preparation, and how he works. I wish that he'd get a chance to play the course and let that dictate his future. At the same time, the guy’s just another person with us.”
When communicating with Bauer, Blevins keeps the scouting plan simple; by reviewing opposing teams’ hitters, and discussing their strengths. This plan has worked better than what could have been expected, before the pitcher and coach came together in April. For now, Bauer’s healing process continues, and Blevins has a staff to tend to. When the two meet next could be the difference between a Ducks fifth franchise Atlantic League championship come September, or somewhere down the line in the standings.
