Gibson cautious of changing Bauer ‘s routine
Mar 13, 2012, 9:52 PM | Updated: 11:35 pm
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson looks at Trevor Bauer as a starting pitcher, and he’ll stay in that position—for now.
Gibson told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo a key reason he wants keep Bauer as a starter is because of his extensive warm-up routine.
“Trevor Bauer has such a unique way he gets ready. He’s going to have to probably make some changes in it, and we don’t want to change him per se, but we have a 162 game schedule,” Gibson said. “Sometimes there are just circumstances that don’t allow you to do exactly what you want to do. This will make him think a little bit more.”
One thing Gibson has emphasized this spring is he doesn’t want to make drastic changes to the young pitcher’s mechanics, but use this time in Spring Training as experience.
But Bauer, who is fighting to claim a spot on the D-backs rotation, impressed the coaching staff and fans by coming out strong in his first start by retiring all six batters he faced in a 21 pitch outing that included 14 strikes. In his second start, Bauer allowed two runs on four hits and struck out two batters.
His intricate routine, which includes throwing from foul pole-to-foul pole, would have to be changed if he was called in later in the game.
But making the modifications is just something Gibson wants Bauer to keep in mind.
“We don’t want him to go out there and feel uncomfortable; we don’t want him to be hurt,” Gibson said. “It will be interesting to see how it works out for him.”
