Arizona Diamondbacks: Trevor Bauer Debut Doesn't Dazzle

On Thursday Trevor Bauer made his debut with Major League Baseball.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft is supposed to be the next Tim Lincecum as he's known for his quirky delivery and warmup.

His debut Thursday was supposed to be one of epic proportions. He was supposed to be the Bryce Harper or Mike Trout of pitchers.

Fans and analysts alike have salivated at the potential this kid has at this level.

The debut performance didn't exactly live up to the hype.

Bauer and the Arizona Diamondbacks battled the Atlanta Braves and won 3-2.

The former UCLA Bruin didn’t see much of the game. He pitched four innings, striking out three batters, walking three and allowed two earned runs on five hits. He threw 42 of his 74 pitches for strikes.

Three strikeouts in four innings isn’t bad, particularly for a Major League debut. That’d be 6.75 strikeouts per nine innings. But it isn’t the “sexy” number fans longed for.

Between Double-A and Triple-A this season Bauer struck out 116 batters in 93 innings (11.22 strikeouts per nine innings) and owned a 1.68 ERA in eight starts at Double-A and 2.82 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A.

The three walks in four innings Thursday were right in line with what Bauer did in the minors this season. In 93 innings pitched he walked 48 batters, which would be 4.65 walks per nine innings pitched.

Walks are something Bauer has to come to grips with. If he wishes to be an elite pitcher at the next level he cannot walk batters at that type of rate.

Let me put this all in perspective though.

Bauer is a 21-year-old kid who hasn’t played a full season of professional baseball at any level. The fact he’s already at the big leagues is short of amazing.

In today’s world, it’s difficult to remember that with talents like Harper and Trout taking the baseball world by storm before the age of 21.

So while his debut didn’t blow anyone away Bauer will eventually have his time to shine. It’s one start. He’s too talented not to figure it out.