Jake Bauers

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2018
  Acquired from the Padres as part of the three-team deal that sent Wil Myers to the Padres, Bauers spent all of 2017 as one of the youngest players in Triple-A at age 21, and ranked as the IL's ninth-best prospect. He showed just fine against older competition, posting a .780 OPS. Bauers has the makings of a younger version of Joey Votto. He has a pure stroke from the left side and an advanced approach that led to 78 walks in 2017, good for second in the International League. His willingness to wait for his pitch and ability to barrel the ball with his superior hand-eye coordination leads to a high on-base percentage. Bauers' solid-average bat speed generates raw power, but it has not shown consistently in game action. Scouts believe that he will generate plenty of extra-base hits to contribute as a first baseman in the big leagues. Bauers runs well and is intelligent on the bases. Despite seeing action as a corner outfielder, he's much more effective at first base, where he displays quick feet, soft hands and a solid overall feel for the position. Much like Willy Adames at shortstop, Bauers is the Rays' long-term answer at first base. The organization traded Casey Gillaspie during the year and shifted Bauers back to his natural position, which is where he'll have a chance to earn the starting job at the big league level in 2018.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2017
  Bauers excelled as a Southern California prep hitter in 2013, coming out of the same Marina High program that produced Daric Barton. The Padres drafted Bauers then challenged him with an assignment to the low Class A Midwest League in 2014. He held his own and was one of the headline prospects of the three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to San Diego. Bauers' plus lefthanded bat is his best asset. He has loose wrists, a knack for making hard contact and he consistently takes competitive at-bats. Bauers has plus bat control and has posted low strikeout rates throughout his career. Despite his routine hard contact, he has yet to show plus over-the-fence power in games. He has a stout, compact build with shorter levers, and his bat path is geared more for line drives. He has plus raw power that must play plus to fit his corner profile. Bauers is an excellent defensive first baseman, but he played right field while he and Casey Gillaspie were teammates in 2016. His sound baseball instincts and solid-average speed play well in the outfield corners. Bauers proved himself as a 20-year-old at Double-A Montgomery, and he should advance to Triple-A Durham in 2017. He will challenge for an everyday corner-outfield spot in Tampa Bay by 2017.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2016
  Bauers' outstanding senior year at Marina High outside Anaheim solidified industry belief in his promising lefthanded bat, and the Padres selected him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. After a successful 2014 season at low Class A Fort Wayne in which the 18-year-old Bauers hit .296, San Diego traded him to the Rays as the key piece for Wil Myers. He continued to hit in 2015 as he advanced to Double-A Montgomery in the second half and then the Arizona Fall League in October. In the AFL, Bauers played the outfield for the first time as a pro, and he did so competently. He is a solid-average runner who showed surprising defensive instincts. His arm strength is below-average, but he has a quick release that will allow him to play left field. He is a smooth defender at first base, his natural position. Bauers' hit tool always will be his meal ticket. He has a short stroke, outstanding pitch-recognition skills and a refined approach at the plate. He shows over-the-fence power during batting practice, but his swing and approach are geared more for line drives. As Bauers matures, some evaluators feel that he could develop 20-home run power. Bauers will probably begin 2016 back at Montgomery. If his power emerges, he could establish himself as a middleof- the-order bat.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #15 prospect in 2015
  Hailing from the same Marina High program as Daric Barton, Bauers draws natural comparison with the long-time Athletics first baseman for his patient approach, lefthanded bat, fine defensive play and below-average power. A seventh-round pick in 2013, Bauers began 2014 in extended spring training before joining low Class A Fort Wayne in late April. He proceeded to hit .362 through the first half, but he regressed badly in the second. Bauers has power to his pull side, but his swing doesn't produce the loft or backspin for true power to all fields. Plus, his thick lower half and maxed-out frame leave little room to project physical gains. Bauers exercises advanced plate discipline, and he hits various pitch types with a direct-to-the-ball bat path, so he should continue to hit for average. He's also a smooth defender with an average arm. While he comes up short in some areas, Bauers possesses the all-important feel to hit, and he looks like a future second-division regular who will move up to high Class A in 2015.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #173 prospect in 2013 draft
  Bauers got off to a strong start this spring at the Southern California Invitational in Compton, ripping a triple into the right-center-field gap. He carried that momentum into the spring for Marina, hitting .545 with four homers through 44 at-bats. He has one of the best bats in the Southern California draft class, with a short lefthanded stroke, excellent barrel awareness and a knack for making frequent hard contact. He also has solid pull power, giving him a chance to be an average hitter with fringe-average to solid-average pop down the road. Bauers will have to hit for power, because he lacks the speed or defensive ability to play anywhere other than first base, where he projects as an average defender. Part of Hawaii's outstanding recruiting class, Bauers draws natural comparisons to fellow Marina High product Daric Barton, and he could be drafted between the fifth and eighth rounds.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #16 prospect in 2018
  Bauers proved he could handle Triple-A last year and merely waited in a holding pattern in the spring for his shot in the big leagues, which came in early June. Bauer’s swing is smooth without many flaws and his patience has served him well in the batter’s box. Above-average raw power is there, but sometimes the numbers don’t always show it because he doesn’t always elevate. The ball pops off his bat and his ability for solid barrel contact tends to create more line drives and reduces some long balls. In the field, Bauers’ tryout as an outfielder lost momentum as he struggled with reading basic fly balls, especially in right field, but his natural instincts at first base serve him well.
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  Ranked International League #19 prospect in 2017
  A gifted young hitter who advanced to Double-A as a 19-year-old in 2015, Bauers remained one of the youngest players in his league this year in the IL. Scouts rave about his swing and approach in the box, and he ranked second in the IL with 78 walks and fifth in on-base percentage (.368).
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  Ranked Southern League #5 prospect in 2016
  Bauers has the type of pure lefthanded batting stroke to excite even jaded baseball men, and SL managers took notice of his potential as he returned to the circuit this season. The Rays parted with Wil Myers to acquire Bauers and four others--most notably Steven Souza--following the 2014 season, and the 20-year-old could redeem that trade for Tampa Bay. Bauers ranked among the SL leaders with 28 doubles (fourth), 73 walks (second), a .370 on-base percentage (sixth) and 78 RBIs (fourth). He is the rare batter who works deep counts yet rarely strikes out and still hits for power. He focuses on making hard contact to all fields and doesn't over-swing, so he doesn't hit many home runs, but he stands to add power as he matures. Many believe he will develop into a plus hitter with plus power as he learns to look for and attack his pitch. The Rays started Bauers in right field when he and 2014 first-rounder Casey Gillaspie were teammates. While playable in the outfield, Bauers is a standout defender at first base with good hands and range for the position.
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  Ranked Florida State League #10 prospect in 2015
  Bauers enraptured scouts and league managers as the league's most polished offensive player after Conforto and Meadows. He belies his teenager years with his polished plate approach, calmness in the batter's box and ability to cover the plate. Bauers didn't skip a beat after a promotion Double-A Montgomery and has emerged as one of the best first basemen in the minors. Bauers repeats his simple swing, barrels up balls and uses the whole field, stinging line drives to the gaps and making for a very tough out. He's an excellent defender at first base as well, and when big leaguer James Loney showed up on a rehab assignment with Charlotte, scouts had their comp. They key for Bauers will be hitting for more power than Loney has. He needs to gain man strength and learn to use the leverage in his swing to hit for average game power, but that would be enough to make him a first-division regular at first with his hitting ability and defense. "He's a pure hitter," Fort Myers manager Jeff Smith said. "He makes it look very, very easy."
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  Ranked Midwest League #20 prospect in 2014
  In a league filled with divisive prospects, Bauers might have generated the most diverging opinions. Scouts and managers who like Bauers see an extremely advanced hitting approach, excellent hands and some of the best defensive play at first base the MWL has seen in years. He shows no qualms standing in against lefthanders. Pitchers found he could handle fastballs, breaking balls and changeups and that he was comfortable working deep counts. On the other end of the debate, others worried that Bauers' power won't profile at first base. It's hard not to draw comparisons with Daric Barton, another patient, lefthanded-hitting first baseman with below-average power, especially since they both are Marina High grads from Huntington Beach, Calif.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #45 prospect in 2018
• Ranked Baseball America's #70 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #78 prospect in 2016

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Bauers joined Adames in the majors and has helped provide Rays fans with a glimpse into the future. He employs a sweet lefthanded swing that has allowed him to hit for average and power throughout his career. Scouts see him as hit over power now, but could reverse that trend later as he matures and learns which pitches he can really drive. He also provides stellar defense at first base.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Bauers excelled as a Southern California prep hitter in 2013, coming out of the same Marina High program that produced Daric Barton. The Padres drafted Bauers then challenged him with an assignment to the low Class A Midwest League in 2014. He held his own and was one of the headline prospects of the three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to San Diego. Scouting Report: Bauers' plus lefthanded bat is his best asset. He has loose wrists, a knack for making hard contact and he consistently takes competitive at-bats. Bauers has plus bat control and has posted low strikeout rates throughout his career. Despite his routine hard contact, he has yet to show plus over-the-fence power in games. He has a stout, compact build with shorter levers, and his bat path is geared more for line drives. He has plus raw power that must play plus to fit his corner profile. Bauers is an excellent defensive first baseman, but he played right field while he and Casey Gillaspie were teammates in 2016. His sound baseball instincts and solid-average speed play well in the outfield corners.
  
  The Future: Bauers proved himself as a 20-year-old at Double-A Montgomery, and he should advance to Triple-A Durham in 2017. He will challenge for an everyday corner-outfield spot in Tampa Bay by 2017.