Diamondbacks tab Trevor Bauer with No. 3 pick

With the third pick in the 2011 MLB first year player draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks select…Trevor Bauer, right-handed pitcher from UCLA.

The pick, which turned out to be a surprise to no one, looks like a good one for Arizona.

The Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, Bauer represents the highest selection Arizona has made since taking Justin Upton first overall in 2005.

Impact pitcher? Well, if 203 strikeouts in 16 starts, including 10 complete games, including nine straight to end the season are indicators of a guy who will make an impact then yeah, that’s what the Diamondbacks added.

Not enough for you? Well, Bauer led conference pitchers in ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched and opponent’s batting average, too.

Diamondbacks director of scouting Ray Montgomery was pleased with the new addition.

“What Trevor Bauer has done in his career at UCLA was record setting, and I think that speaks for itself,” Montgomery said. “We see him as a potential rotational guy for us and I think his talent gives him a chance to make an impact on us sooner rather than later.”

Sooner rather than later. Does that mean he could reach the Majors as early as this year, assuming he signs soon enough? That’s a stretch. However, D-backs senior VP of Scouting and Player Development Jerry Dipoto said they aren’t planning on having Bauer toil in the minors any longer than he has to.

“We’ll allow him to move toward the Big Leagues as quick as he’s able,” he said. “Whether that’s 2012, 2013, I can’t say until we get him into the system.

“But our plan is not for Trevor Bauer to go out and carve through the miner leagues one year at a time.”

Bauer has drawn comparisons to San Francisco ace and Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, with his array of pitches and funky windup.

No doubt the Diamondbacks would be happy if those comparisons still apply once Bauer reaches the Major Leagues.

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