Cleveland Indians: 5 Pitchers With Something to Prove in 2017

Bauer pitched part of the 10th inning of Game 7 of the World Series. He got two outs, striking out one. This was quite the comeback after going 0 for 2 in Games 2 and 5. Bauer managed his walks, and he struck out nine  in just over seven innings of work, but he still threw a ton of pitches and allowed way too many runs.

Bauer is the kind of guy who everyone knows has the potential to be a number one or number two starter, but he yet to breach that air. Is 2017 the year? Is Bauer’s playoff experience enough to push him over the edge?

Bauer is a hard-throwing, mechanically-weird starter who gets in his head more than anyone else. He can get up to 95 mph easily, and his fastball moves around more than most people. How can Bauer get over the hump? What can he possibly do?

He needs to listen. He has learned from Kluber, and he could use a bit of competition from Carrasco and Salazar as the Tribe rounds out the best top-4 in the bigs. Bauer is the epitome of high-ceiling, and 2017 could be the year that he reaches his ceiling.