If the name Jake Bauers sounds familiar, it should. He’s a 27-year-old first baseman/outfielder with 328 games for the Guardians, Mariners and Rays from 2018-21. Bauers hit .213 with 27 home runs over that stretch and then had an uneventful 2022 in the Reds and Yankees’ farm systems.
But in 2023, the script has been flipped and the struggling Yankees should be taking note. Bauers is swinging a white-hot bat in Triple-A right now.
In 19 games, Bauers is batting .333 with a 1.364 OPS and an International League-leading nine home runs. He’s played both corner outfield positions as well as first base.