"I'm more of a nerd" - Trevor Bauer explains using unconventional methods to compete with athletically gifted peers

Trevor Bauer is undoubtedly one of the most controversial superstars of the MLB over the past decade, yet he is also among the most intriguing pitchers due to his unconventional but successful training methods. Bauer said he identifies himself as a nerd and is blessed with an ability to judge the efficiency of training methods; therefore, he was able to study and modify his preparation to cater to his body.

Trevor Bauer won the National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds during the COVID-shortened season. However, he has not played in the major leagues since 2021 after he was suspended by the MLB following allegations of sexual assault by a woman. Bauer was then removed from the roster by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with no major league team coming forward to sign him since.

On Monday, Trevor Bauer appeared as a guest for an interview on The Wealthy Way podcast. He discussed his unconventional training methods during the show and how he came to devise them. [8:50 - 15:00]

"I'm just not naturally an athlete; I'm more of a nerd." Bauer said. "To be an athlete, I had to find a way of training differently than what everyone else was doing because I wasn't going to be able to compete in that way. And I think my mind sees some efficiency in some things, for whatever reason, so I just looked at training and went, "Oh, this is not efficient. Let me do this another way."

"So, I just started studying it scientifically," he added. "Started off that way. Then it was long toss, it was speed training, it was mechanics, biomechanics, high-speed footage for pitch design, fluid dynamics for laminar and turbulent flows, pitch movements, Magnus forces, and all that kind of stuff. Then I got into body chemistry and physiology, and how does nutrition play into it, and how you recover better."

Bauer has enjoyed highly successful spells pitching in Japan and Mexico over the past two years of his exile from the MLB.

I'm right in the middle of my competitive peak: Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer has played in Japan and Mexico after getting released by the Dodgers (Image Source: Imagn)

Trevor Bauer has not received any offers during the off-season even though he has placed a league minimum annual salary for his services. With a return to the MLB getting increasingly unlikely with every week, Bauer outlined some of his goals as a professional overseas.

"I'm right in the middle of my competitive peak," he said. "Probably got another three, maybe four, years of really high-quality baseball in me before I start to slip a little bit. So, I want to do something cool competitively.

"I'd really like to win the Sawamura Award in Japan," he added. "That's one thing I'd like to do before my career is over. I'd also like to play some winterball at some point, playing in the DR, or Mexico, or Venezuela."

The Eiji Sawamura Award is the equivalent of the Cy Young Award, handed to the best pitcher of the NPB in Japan. Bauer aims to be the first player to claim both the prestigious awards.