When former Cleveland Guardians' Trevor Bauer portrayed himself as a rebel refusing to conform to the status quo

Controversial pitcher Trevor Bauer could very well be number one on the MLB's most-hated list. Or at least it seemed like he wanted to for the better part of his career.

Notorious for getting on the wrong side of opponents, his own teammates, fans, and others, Bauer curated a reputation of himself that very few put up with.

In a brutally honest interview with Sports Illustrated in 2019, Bauer conceded that he did rub people the wrong way. He spoke about it like it was almost an innate ability.

“I’m good at two things in this world,” he said to Sports Illustrated, “throwing baseballs and p**sing people off.”

"Trevor Bauer has been hated in every single locker room he’s ever been in. He’s been an ass for his entire social media life. He’s so unlikable and yet still so many dudes felt the need to cape for him. “We just thought he hated women in the normal way, not in the criminal way.” - ACAB includes Paul Vallas, Twitter

Apart from the iconoclastic rebel portrayal, a sexual assault case landed him in extremely hot water. The hugely publicized case had many calling for Bauer to be disciplined by the MLB.

Though Bauer did not face criminal charges, the league did suspend him for two years. His Los Angeles Dodgers teammates unanimously didn't want him back and gave him zero support during that period.

"MLB suspends Dodgers star pitcher Trevor Bauer for 2 seasons over violation of sexual assault policy." - CNBC, Twitter

Trevor Bauer was an All-Star in 2018

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Trevor Bauer third overall in the 2011 MLB draft. He made his major league debut the following June, becoming the first member of his draft class to reach the majors.

Bauer was a household name by 2016 and made his one and only All-Star appearance in 2018. He won his first Cy Young Award during the 60-game 2020 MLB season, becoming the first Cincinnati Reds player to win the award.

"Scandalized former MLB All-Star Trevor Bauer joins Japanese team," MailOnline Sport, Twitter

Bauer, who had an abrupt end to his MLB career, is currently with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).