Did teams give up on Seattle Mariners 1B/OF Jake Bauers too early?

Did you know that Jake Bauers used to be a top prospect? The new Seattle Mariners first baseman and outfielder was at one point the 43rd ranked MLB prospect, and the 4th ranked prospect in the Tampa Bay Ray organization.

I remember even adding him to my fantasy baseball team as soon as he was called up to the big leagues. But since making his MLB debut in 2018, it has been a rough go for Jake Bauers.

Did the Seattle Mariners get lucky with another former prospect, Jake Bauers?

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The one example that I always chuckle a little about is when the Mariners traded for J.P. Crawford. The former Phillies draftee was the 29th ranked MLB prospect back in the day and was supposed to be a star shortstop for the Phillies.

Well, Crawford struggled in his first couple of years in Philly and you could say that the team gave up on him. Jerry Dipoto swooped in acquired him via trade and the fruit has finally ripened.

J.P., who is now 26-years-old, is currently one of the best players on the team. It’s crazy to think that he is still just 26-years-old, and we’re seeing him get better month after month.

To me, you could put Jake Bauers in the same bucket. Bauers, who is now 25-years-old, received a lot of praise as a prospect but maybe he just wasn’t ready yet, like Crawford.

Both players were drafted out of high school in the 2013 MLB draft, and as I am sure you already know, high school draftees need more time to develop compared to college draftees.

So, maybe the Seattle Mariners first baseman and outfielder is a late bloomer. Or maybe his time in Seattle has been a fluke. I don’t know and I am not sure if anyone knows.

https://twitter.com/ROOTSPORTS_NW/status/1404667961680355334?s=20

But, I do think trading for Jake Bauers was an A+ decision by Jerry Dipoto. We have yet to decide who we are sending back to Cleveland, but it probably won’t be too much. It’s a low-risk high-potential transaction in my opinion, and that is the best kind of gamble.

With Evan White being transferred to the 60-day injured list, Jake Bauers should get plenty of time on the field. We should get a real idea of whether Bauers is meeting his former prospect expectations, or whether he is just going to be a short-term fill-in for the Seattle Mariners.