Feb. 21, 2012
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- With manager Kirk Gibson and general manager
Kevin Towers watching closely, Diamondbacks top pitching prospect
Trevor Bauer threw his first major league bullpen session Tuesday at
Salt River Fields.
Bauer, picked third overall in the 2011 Major
League Baseball First Year Player Draft last June, is in major league
camp at just 21 years old and looking to make an impression. The
right-hander threw for about 10 minutes Tuesday, the second day of
D-backs camp.
"The ball felt good coming out of my hand," Bauer
said. "I felt like my stuff was OK, inconsistent mechanically, and
obviously (there were) location problems. First one of the spring, but I
was encouraged about how it went."
Bauer maintained a throwing
routine through the winter, so conditioning won't be as much of a
concern this spring. Bauer can instead focus more on mechanics and
command.
"I'm pretty much ready to go," Bauer said. "I've just got to figure out how to locate the ball again."
Bauer
said it was a relief to get the first bullpen session over with, but
that he hasn't been nervous about the baseball side of things in his
first spring training. More nerve-wracking for him has been figuring out
the logistics of big league spring training -- schedules, clubhouse
etiquette and apparently timing.
Bauer arrived to the first day
of workouts Monday in time to be dressed well ahead of the team's first
meeting, but that apparently wasn't good enough for the rest of the
clubhouse. The rookie took some good-natured ribbing and made sure to
arrive a couple hours early Tuesday.
Gibson and Towers sat just
behind Bauer as he threw Tuesday morning. Shortly after, they got a look
at another top pitching prospect in Tyler Skaggs. The 20-year-old
left-hander was acquired in 2010 when the D-backs dealt Dan Haren to the
Angels and is in major league camp for the first time.
Gibson was impressed with Bauer and Skaggs on Tuesday but didn't put a lot of stock in the early camp session.
"They
were prepared obviously," Gibson said. "You don't want to get too
excited about it. They threw the ball good, we all know what there
abilities are. We've got to keep them focused on what we're trying to do
here."
The D-backs rotation appears set, so it will be tough for
Bauer or Skaggs to crack the major league roster. Towers on Monday left
a small window open, also accounting for possible injuries.
"The
last thing we want to do is send a message to guys like Trevor Bauer
and Tyler Skaggs and Wade Miley that they've got no chance here," Towers
said. "We want it to be a very competitive spring. You never know when
there might be an injury, you never know when a guy may miss a turn
early in April. We want those kids ready and hungry."
--Tyler Lockman
