Cleveland Indians: Trevor Bauer needs to shift focus from Twitter to baseball

We’re very aware of the mental capacity of Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Trevor Bauer at this point. From building drones to fly at Spring Training to using his wit on Twitter–it’s apparent he’s got a different level. But maybe it’s time he put the focus into his pitching and not into social media.

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‘ Trevor Bauer is like the “Beautiful Mind” of the Tribe rotation. Brilliant, sharp-witted. Not afraid of a little bit of sparring on the social media stage. Recently, he took to Twitter again in response to the Democratic debate. It’s not unusual for politics to bring out the worst in people, and Bauer was no different.

It seems he took offense to the matter during the debate that rich people don’t “pay their share”. That led Bauer to Twitter to vent–and then block anyone who challenged him.

If you follow @Baueroutage, you’ll know he doesn’t post and disappear. He very much interacts with his fans–whether it be positive or negative–sometimes to entertaining ends.

I’m not questioning his politics or even his blocking of people on Twitter. Bauer has done this before, and that’s his right. But maybe it’s time he puts some of that focus into his pitching mechanics and not into building drones or tweeting. And I’m sure this will get me blocked..but hey, he’s got the right to block and I have the right to my opinion.

When the Indians acquired Bauer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, they felt like it was a situation of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” And in 2014, it appeared they may have snuck one away as Bauer showed his promise, even if the numbers weren’t eye-popping. A 5-8 record with a FIP of 4.o8, he appeared to be on the brink of “getting it”, and the Indians saw the plethora of talent in their rotation growing.

Spring Training last year saw Bauer flex his mental muscle as he brought his homemade drone to Goodyear. The MLB eventually grounded it for safety reasons, but it seemed like it was all fun and games for the up-and-coming starter.

Bauer finished 11-12, but it felt much worse than that. His control was the biggest issue as his BB/9 went from 3.5 to 4.0 while his HR/9 went from 0.9 to 1.2. And even with his WHIP making a noticeable drop from 1.37 to 1.31–it was the home runs and free runners that tainted Bauer’s year.

Along the way, Bauer ended up on Twitter ripping Royals’ fans–and while entertaining, it didn’t help him on the mound.  So are his Twitter meandering an issue? Or should he be allowed to do what he wants?

Here’s my thought–and it means nothing. Bauer can go to Twitter all he wants, say what he wants–and that all fine and dandy. But if he doesn’t get things straight this season, I’m not sure as many people are going to care what a minor leaguer is ranting about on Twitter.