Righthander Trevor Bauer might have the best pure stuff of any pitcher on the Cleveland Indians. But it looks like he’ll have to do his damage in relief to start off the year.
According to a report by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com on Wednesday, Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin have won the final two spots in the Cleveland pitching rotation behind the core three of Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, and Carlos Carrasco. This means that Bauer will begin the 2016 season in the Indians’ bullpen.
Anderson gets No. 4 spot. Tomlin is the No. 5. Bauer to the bullpen.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) March 30, 2016
The 25-year-old Bauer went 11-12 in 30 starts for the Indians in 2015 with a 4.55 ERA and 170 strikeouts. While he has a downright silly arsenal of devastating pitches at his disposal, Bauer often struggles with command, leading the American League with 79 walks last season.
Bauer has made only one relief appearance in his MLB career so this news comes as a bit of a shocker. Perhaps his hard-throwing style will translate well to the bullpen. But either way, it’s doubtful that the demotion lasts long as Bauer is a starting-caliber talent and will be the first one to get the call should either Anderson or Tomlin flop.
Let’s just hope that the UCLA product is a better reliever than he is a rapper.
Image Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
