First-Rounders Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray Head to Double-A

It’s quite rare to see first-round draft picks do much of significance in their first pro season. The majority of them sign so late that they’re unable to get in many games, with several simply waiting until the next year to make their pro debuts. Many of those that do sign struggle in their first taste of pro ball or are kept in the short-season leagues. Every once in a while, a player is drafted with the specific intent to move quickly, most often relief pitchers like Chris Sale or Drew Storen, but those are certainly exceptions.

All of that hasn’t stopped two 2011 first-rounders–right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer (Arizona; 3rd overall) and Sonny Gray (Oakland; 18th overall) from getting into the upper minors just weeks after being drafted, as both were promoted to Double-A this week.

Bauer was considered perhaps the most polished pitcher in this year’s draft, and the 20-year-old righthander was thus assigned directly to High-A Visalia in the daunting California League. He made three starts for the Rawhide, striking out three batters in two innings in the first, six batters in three innings in the second, and eight batters in four innings in the third. While that’s an incredibly small sample, you don’t see 17 K/9 very often, and it’s certainly logical to think that Bauer’s tremendous arsenal was too much for High-A hitters to handle. While his workload will no doubt continue to be on the low side for the rest of the season, it will certainly be interesting to see if he continues to strike out nearly half the batters he faces. If he continues to overmatch all comers in Double-A, he could have a Lincecum-esque rise to the big leagues.

Gray isn’t as high-upside of a pitcher as Bauer, which explains why he was picked 15 spots lower. But he’s a polished righty in the mold of the Reds’ Mike Leake, who famously skipped the minors entirely. After one tuneup start in Rookie ball, Gray was whisked up to Double-A by the A’s, where he promptly struck out five in 2 2/3 innings in his first start on August 12.

One could be pessimistic and say that Gray is similar to A’s 2007 first-round pick James Simmons, another “polished” pitcher who went straight to Double-A but is languishing four years later, but it’s not a fair comparison–Simmons was on the cusp of the majors after a solid 2009 but saw most of his last two years wiped out by shoulder issues. Hopefully, the 21-year-old Gray isn’t similarly derailed, as the prospect-starved A’s need as much help on the farm as they can get.

Certainly, these are two players from this season’s draft who have a good chance to make a quick impact at the big league level. It will be interesting to see how they handle their aggressive promotions.