While you certainly can take a man out of the desert, you can’t desert the idea that his actions could make for a memorable marketing experience. Come Aug. 19, the Reno Aces will acknowledge former farmhand Trevor Bauer by holding an eponymous drone bobblehead giveaway, an acknowledgment of an October incident through which the Cleveland Indians pitcher simultaneously sliced his right pinky when performing maintenance on his flying robot and became an interesting trivia question answer in our national pastime’s annals.
The Aces, who serve as the Triple-A affiliate for the Arizona Diamondbacks, made the announcement Feb. 28, with the 26-year-old hurler taking to Twitter to respond:
I may have to "fly" in for this….. https://t.co/h5DD9mzS5s
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) March 1, 2017
Bauer toed the mound for the club in 2012, with the organization sending him to Cleveland nearly five months after he had made his major league debut. In four years with the Tribe, the North Hollywood native has appeared in 96 regular season games, including 88 starts, but it is a missed turn last postseason and the subsequent shortened outing following his return that inspired the promotion.
Ahead of the American League Championship Series, Bauer suffered the technology-fueled setback, forcing manager Terry Francona to push him back one spot in the rotation. When the third overall pick in the 2011 draft looked to make batters feel the pain of trying to hit his fastball, he ended up being the one in literal agony, as ruptured stitches ended his Game 3 duties after only 21 pitches.
The American League Central team captured the series and nearly claimed the World Series title, falling in seven games to the Chicago Cubs. Bauer dropped both starts in the Fall Classic, yet he and the Indians are looking to maintain their junior circuit supremacy and make this October far more memorable, with Bauer, who tallied a career-high 12 years in 2016, likely serving as the number four starter.
No matter how he fares for the pennant winners, the 6-foot-1 Bauer will live forever in the hearts and nodding noggins of Aces’ fans thanks to the bobblehead, an image of which is not yet available. Having posted a 5-1 record over 14 starts for the Grand Canyon State minor league squad, Bauer will certainly have fond memories of his time out West and could very well see his reputation soar among the faithful if he can attend. If so, here’s hoping that capable hands will tend to his drone.
