Rick Bauer
| G | GS | CG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | TBB | SO | WP | BR/9 | W | L | PCT | ShO | SV-O | HLD | ERA |
| 35 | 0 | 0 | 61.1 | 58 | 36 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 43 | 6 | 12.62 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 4.55 |
| Age: 26 Height: 6-6 Weight: 218 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right Pos: RP |
Born: January 10, 1977, Garden Grove , CA Full Name: Richard Edward Bauer College: Treasure Valley CC Oregon Experience: 3 years 2003 Salary: $325,000 |
| Rick Bauer was coming off a nice 2002 when we warned in the
Yearbook that his lack of a strikeout pitch could be a problem if he had any
control issues. He actually improved both his K/9 and BB/9 numbers, but the
season overall included a demotion to Ottawa and a reduced role in the
bullpen, as well as an ERA a half-run higher. What happened? Basically what happened was a string of games early in the season when Bauer could not find the plate. His first three appearances were all fine, but then he ran into trouble against the Red Sox, and, two days later, he blew a game against the Devil Rays. Then, a bad outing against the Red Sox. Then another one with the Devil Rays. Then, finally, a run in an inning pitched against the White Sox, and his ERA stood at 7.24. After a couple of more mediocre performances, he was pretty much one of the forgotten men in the bullpen, and was finally sent down after a 3-run, 3-inning outing against Milwaukee on June 14. He'd be back, though, and he'd pitch much better, though he wasn't pitching often enough to overcome the damage previously done to his numbers with his bad first third of the season. After he gave up six runs in 1/3 of an inning to the Mariners in a 13-1 loss at Safeco on August 30, Bauer was shut down with a tender arm. He would return September 25 for two scoreless appearances. We can only hope that he will recover from that nasty spell, and be a more effective pitcher for the bullpen in 2004. As much as the O's appear to need starters, it doesn't appear that Bauer has enough stuff for the starting rotation. It's a new manager, a new day. Hopefully, Rick can continue to right his personal ship and help steer the Good Ship Oriole out of troubled waters this coming season. To Contribute Successfully to the Orioles Next Season, He Should: (1) Come back with a positive outlook and forget last season. He actually pitched as well as he did in 2002 a good deal of the time. He just needs to relax, be consistent. (2) Keep looking for that strikeout pitch. He was up to 6.31/9 this year, which is an improvement, but that sample size was sort of small. NOTES: I had a pen pal girlfriend from the Monkees Fan Club from Garden Grove, CA, where Bauer is from, when I was in middle school...the six times Grover used Bauer on back to back days, he pitched to an 5.87 ERA...allowed a .313 average with runners in scoring position...held the Yankees to a .107 BAA in 8.1 IP.
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