Tampa Bay Rays Hoping For Bauer Power

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to contend each and every year whether you know which players fill out their 25-man roster or not. After acquiring Wil Myers from the Kansas City Royals in the James Shields deal (oh, they also shipped Wade Davis), Myers was then sent to San Diego last offseason in a deal that netted Tampa productive a rookie Steven Souza and Jake Bauers among others.

The general public knows Bauers from his Fall Stars tumble and fall, followed by subsequent hat tip and heckling from his own family, but Bauers has impressed many scouts. While watching Bauers during batting practice before the Fall Stars game, a writer for MLB Pipeline came up next to me and simply said, “I like his swing. A lot.” There is a lot to like in Bauer’s swing; a short, compact swing that ensures that he makes contact more often than not.

Bauers was selected in the 7th round of the 2013 Draft by San Diego out of high school, and this past season played 69 games at the Double-A level. In total, Bauers hit .272 with a .342 on-base percentage to go along with 11 homers and 74 RBIs between Hi-A and Double-A.

Jonathan Mayo tackled the question of the 20-year-old’s ceiling in the Pipeline Inbox a couple of days ago. “Bauers’ ceiling is tied largely to how much power he develops over time. He has an advanced approach at the plate, draws walks and doesn’t strike out much. Bauers should hit for average as he progresses. If the pop continues to come, then he could fit the profile as an everyday first baseman at the big league level. Interestingly, Bauers has been playing the outfield exclusively — mostly right — in the Arizona Fall League. That, at the very least, gives him some positional flexibility, giving the Rays options to get his bat into the lineup.”

Next season Bauers could be looking at a brief stint in Double-A before getting the call to Triple-A. His Major League timeline may depend on how much power he develops in 2016. If he is sitting around 15 long balls late in the season, September could be the perfect time for the Tampa Bay Rays to give him a look in the big leagues. If that power takes some extra time to show then mid-season in 2017 is more likely.

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One comparison that Bauers has drawn is to Daric Barton, the prized jewel of Oakland’s Mark Mulder trade back in 2004. Barton spent parts of eight seasons in the bigs with Oakland but the former first rounder never broke out as expected. But boy, could he draw a base on balls. Barton totaled 30 home runs in the big leagues and never topped 13 as a pro. The comparison may prove to be unfair if Bauers continues to add more power, but for now it may be fuel for the fire.

Bauers is currently ranked as the #23 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays system and is batting .200 with two home runs and eight RBIs over 60 at-bats.