After Tapping Into His Power With the Yankees, Jake Bauers Strives for Balance

The Brewers’ lack of power was a well-noted weakness that hampered the team throughout the 2023 season. Matt Arnold addressed that need by signing sluggers Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sanchez, but his first step toward adding thump to the lineup came in November when the Brewers acquired Jake Bauers from the New York Yankees.

A former top prospect for the Tampa Bay Rays, Bauers’ big-league output has been uninspiring. In 412 games, he owns a .211/.302/.361 line (83 wRC+) and -1.0 fWAR.

At first glance, his 2023 line with the Yankees was more of the same: a .202/.279/.413 slash (89 wRC+) and -0.5 fWAR. A deeper look reveals Bauers was anything but the same hitter he was before arriving in the Bronx.

One of the knocks against Bauers for much of his career was his lack of in-game power for a first baseman and corner outfielder. Across his first three seasons, he hit 27 home runs in 328 games with a lackluster hard hit (33.5%) and barrel (5.5%) rates.

That changed last season, as Bauers posted some of the best quality of contact metrics in baseball. His hard-hit rate jumped to 48%, and his barrel rate more than tripled to 18.7%. He matched his career high of 12 home runs in just 272 plate appearances.

When Bauers made contact, it was among the most authoritative contact in the game. Among hitters with at least 250 plate appearances last year, his barrel rate ranked sixth, and his xwOBAcon (expected wOBA on contact) of .485 placed 10th.

The transformation was the product of a series of changes Bauers made to his setup and swing path. He closed off his stance, raised his hands, and flattened his bat path.

“I’ve always had an open stance,” Bauers said. “Squaring up helped me feel myself getting into that back hip a little more consistently with less space to travel. That helped a lot, which in turn helped with my bat path.”

Bauers says he worked with the Yankees to clean up that bath path and make it flatter through the zone. The more efficient swing makes it easier for him to get the barrel to the ball.

The changes produced some incredible results on contact, but Bauers struggled to put the ball in play consistently enough to maximize his newfound power. He struck out at a 34.9% rate and whiffed on 33.3% of his swings.

While Bauers has no plans to overhaul his identity as a hitter, he hopes to showcase a more balanced profile with his new club.

“I think last year was a little bit of an all-or-nothing approach,” he said. “I’m looking to dial that back a little bit. Put more balls in play, maybe give up a little bit of exit velo now and then, and just let the power happen.”

Part of that process is understanding what pitches he can slug and which ones he can’t and applying that knowledge to his plan of attack at the plate.

“There’s certain pitches you can hit home runs on, and there’s certain pitches that, unless you’re a freak, you really can’t.

Instead of consistently trying to launch everything into the seats, Bauers envisions an approach that leads to more consistent results while allowing him to punish the pitches that he can hit for home runs.

“Having a little bit more of a line drive approach and letting the home runs be thrown as opposed to trying to lift everything in the air to right field,” he elaborated.

Bauers acknowledged that it’s been a years-long process of landing on the right mechanics and approach to be productive. The hope is that his fifth big-league season will be a breakthrough year.

Even after adding Hoskins, the Brewers still see Bauers as a key component of their offense. There should be ample playing time for him between first base, designated hitter, and as a left-handed power bat off the bench.

“If you’re looking at it and putting it on paper, he’s got a chance to play a lot,” Pat Murphy said of Bauers’ fit on the roster.

The 28-year-old is ready to contribute in whatever role he’s called to fill. While Murphy said he doesn’t consider Bauers an option in the outfield, he’s willing to slide out to the grass if it helps the club.

“I’m always looking to do whatever I can to help a team,” he said. “If that means playing right field, left field, shortstop, it doesn’t matter. That’s really the kind of role I’ve had to take over the course of my big-league career, and so I think that’s a healthy mindset. It puts you in good spot.”

Wherever he lines up, don’t be surprised if Bauers helps the Brewers plenty as one of their better power bats.