When Trevor Bauer, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft, got traded in December, it came as a shock to some people. But after his former catcher, Miguel Montero, spoke out about dealing with the 22-year-old right hander, it became a bit clearer why the Diamondbacks pulled the trigger on the deal.
Montero said that Bauer was a pain to deal with in Arizona. He didn’t take instruction well and his major league production suffered because of it. Bauer went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in four starts with 13 walks.
“It was tough,” Montero told Arizona Sports 620. “When you get a guy like that and he thinks he’s got everything figured out, it’s just tough to commence and try to get on the same page with you.”
Montero and Bauer got off on the wrong foot almost immediately when the young pitcher threw 100 pitches on his first day of spring training. Montero told him to take it slower, but Bauer kept it up. Montero added that Bauer “never wanted to listen.”
After just 18 months with the organization, Bauer was traded to Cleveland along with Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw for shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius, reliever Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson. The deal was nearly unanimously considered a steal for the Indians.
Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana may not feel the same way after dealing with Bauer.
“He’s got his ways, and it’s tough to change it,” Montero said. “Good luck to Carlos Santana there.”
Despite struggling at the major league level, Bauer excelled in the Arizona minor league system. In 2012, he had a 2.42 ERA with 157 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings. In Keith Law‘s Top 100 prospects for ESPN.com, Bauer ranks at No. 25 this season. Gregorius was not ranked.
Photo via Facebook/Cleveland Indians
