Okay, so I sat down today and decided to really think through Trevor Bauer’s time with the Cleveland Indians. Just kind of run through the whole experience from when he arrived to when he left, like a personal practice session in remembering.
First thing I did was just clear my head and think back to when they got him. It was part of that big trade, right? With the Diamondbacks and Reds involved. I remember thinking, okay, this guy has a live arm. Serious potential there. That was the initial impression, pulling that memory up first.
Then, I started focusing on his actual pitching. Watched a lot of games back then. Man, the stuff was undeniable. He could strike guys out like nobody’s business when he was on. Fastball had zip, curveball could be nasty. You saw flashes of a real ace.
Next step in my process was recalling the… let’s call them ‘quirks’. Always tinkering. That’s a big part of the Bauer story in Cleveland. Always working on new pitches, changing mechanics, the long toss routine. Some people loved it, thought it was cutting edge. Others, maybe felt it was too much sometimes? I just remember it being a constant storyline.
Key Moments I Focused On
- The Drone Incident: Can’t forget that one. Right before a huge playoff start. Messed up his finger. Just a bizarre, unforgettable moment during his Cleveland tenure. Had to specifically pull that memory out.
- The 2018 Season: Before he got hurt, he was incredible. Really put himself in the Cy Young conversation. That was probably his peak in Cleveland, performance-wise. I made sure to pinpoint that period.
- Personality & Media: This was always buzzing around him. Very active online, very outspoken. Didn’t shy away from saying what he thought. That definitely shaped his time there, the perception anyway. Recalling the general vibe around him was part of this exercise.
- The Trade Out: Eventually, they moved him to the Reds. That felt like the end of a specific chapter. Thinking about the reasons why, the timing, that was the final piece of the puzzle for his Cleveland story in my mind.
So, I laid all these thoughts out. The high potential, the great performances sometimes, the constant tinkering, the weird drone thing, the strong personality, and then the trade. It wasn’t a simple, straight line, his time there. It was definitely eventful.
Putting it all together, my reflection process basically went from arrival excitement, to on-field performance (both good and sometimes inconsistent), to the off-field stuff and unique events, and finally to his departure. Felt like a full cycle. That was my practice for today, just walking through the whole Trevor Bauer – Cleveland Indians saga as I remembered it.
