By his own admission following Monday night’s win against the Texas Rangers, Jake Bauers — like everyone else in life — occasionally needs a kick in the butt. He apparently got one, and he’s ridden it to the best week of his young career.
Before we get into cherry-picking the rosier set of stats, Bauers overall numbers are still not where he probably wants them. He sits at a .236/.314/.403 slash for an 89 wRC+, and he has nine home runs in 261 plate appearances. He’s not far off the 95 wRC+ mark he set last season, but considering the Indians traded Yandy Diaz for him, they are probably expecting more than a slightly below-average bat and spotty defense from Bauers.