D-backs' Hall: Bauer demotion was the right call
Originally published: Jul 19, 2012 - 8:07 pm
Adversity can often breed success -- and that's exactly what the Arizona Diamondbacks hope will happen with their highly-touted prospect Trevor Bauer.
Bauer ascended to the majors to much hype and fanfare but failed to meet up to the lofty expectations. In fact, it was evident Bauer was overmatched and needed more seasoning at the minor league level.
Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports 620's Doug and Wolf Thursday, he believes it was without a doubt the right decision to demote the right-hander to Triple-A Reno.
"For whatever reason, [Bauer] came up here and experienced difficulty for the first time in his career," Hall said. "I think he was like a deer in headlights. He didn't know how to handle it."
Bauer went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA, 13 walks and 17 strikeouts in four starts with the D-backs. The 21-year-old particularly struggled in his last start Tuesday against the Reds, in which he surrendered four runs (three earned) with five walks and three strikeouts in three innings of work.
"You could just tell he was so disappointed after that last start, so confused, so lost and as confident as he sounds afterwards it was clear that he needed to get back down to the minor leagues and collect himself," Hall explained.
"We are going to be able to work with the kid, and let's remember he is that, he's a kid," Hall stated.
Bauer made his major league debut on June 28 in Atlanta and left his start with a sore groin. He never quite found his footing after, despite collecting his first major league win against the Dodgers on July 8.
"Three of his four starts were not good and he'd be the first to admit it," Hall said. "But you can't have the same approach for major league hitters that you always do for minor league hitters."
Hall expressed the importance of Bauer making the adjustments necessary to succeed at the major league level. The youngster will need to work on his control, throw more strikes, cut down on his walks and be more aggressive when challenging hitters.
Watching the young Trevor Bauer tinker his mechanics in the minors is all part of the maturation process. There's no point in watching him get knocked around and potentially lose his confidence in the majors.
He's too valuable to the Diamondbacks' future to rush his progress. But once he's ready, he'll be worth the wait.
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