Sunday, October 21, 2018

Trevor Bauer's Sour Grapes

Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians convinced himself that his team did not compete in or win the 2017 World Series, and the Houston Astros did, because he believes that Astros pitchers cheat. He first made this bizarre claim in May 2018, and he continues to push his conspiracy theory. The more likely scenario is that he suffers from a case of sour grapes.

Bauer insinuated that several Astros pitchers' increased spin rates on pitches were indicative of cheating. He claims to know "the truth," yet he provides no proof.

 Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci in May addressed the issue with, Trevor Bauer's Veiled Accusations of the Astros May Have Merit ... But They're Probably Personal. Verducci outlined reasons why notable Astros pitchers have increased spin rates, and suggested that Bauer's personal dislike for Houston's Gerrit Cole may be the basis for his claims.

 Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post said in Magic dust, spin rates and buy-in: How the Astros make good pitchers even better: "Helpful hint: it isn’t the magic dust."

While Bauer was bashing the Astros, Travis Sawchik (Fangraphs), wrote in May, The Astros Aren’t the Only Team Whose Pitchers Are Adding Spin, "There is a relationship between spin and velocity, so if a pitcher can increase his velocity, he can reasonably expect to increase his spin rate."

 Anthony Castrovince's May story on MLB.com, Bauer and Astros engage in Twitter spat, quoted Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Bauer's accusation: "I do think people need to sweep their own front porch and deal with their own situations rather than throw accusations that are unfounded. I don't know if it's a personal vendetta or if he's got a problem with things."

 After Bauer's first such accusation, Astros players Lance McCullers Jr., Collin McHugh, and Alex Bregman responded via Twitter in classic, hilarious fashion.
McHugh's tweet was followed brilliantly by Bregman's.
Since then, Bauer has had numerous Twitter run-ins with Astros fans over his ridiculous and petty assault on the truth. Bauer made it clear that he would take on those who trolled him and respond in kind, and when he did it again on October 20, I had to join the fun. 

Bauer's claim that he knows the truth and the rest of us don't is pure bunk. If such proof existed, it would be public knowledge. It is far more likely that Astros pitching coach Brent Strom is simply better at his job than just about everyone else. Strom is backed by GM Jeff Luhnow's emphasis on analytics, putting the Astros in a position of strength that others try to approach. In short, as McCullers wrote: Bauer is jealous.

Take the advice given to you, Mr. Bauer, by the World Series Champion Astros players McCullers, McHugh, and Bregman: work harder, get better, and swallow those sour grapes. That bad taste will eventually go away - maybe.

Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. His books include: 'Twisted Logic: 50 Edgy Flash Fiction Stories', 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories','A Sports Junkie', 'The Avery Appointment', 'Between the Fuzzy Parts'. His books are available in paperback and e-book.
He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.
Posted by Larry at 11:22:00 AM
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)