Trevor Bauer Pitches Against Dodgers Minor Leaguers, Still Believes He's 'One Of The Best In The World'

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Trevor Bauer pitched against professional hitters in the United States for the first time in nearly three years over the weekend with the outing just so happening to come against members of his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bauer took the mound for a Japanese tryout team called the Asian Breeze.   He showed that he still very much has a live arm. His fastball reportedly touched 99 mph several times while recording four strikeouts against 12 batters.

Not only did Bauer make it clear that he still has his heater, but he showed that he's not lacking any confidence either. 

"I just stay ready and maybe people somehow will remember that I’m still one of the best pitchers in the world," Bauer said, per USA Today. "Hopefully, today reminded them that I'm still an elite pitcher. If not, that's fine, too."

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Bauer was initially suspended for 324 games in April 2022, which came 10 months after he was placed on administrative leave involving sexual assault allegations. His suspension was later reduced and he ultimately served a 194-day absence, but the Dodgers elected to release him.

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Since the allegations and being released by Los Angeles, Bauer has been looking for another opportunity to play for an MLB club.

"I mean, if you think about it, I should have the opportunity to sign with a big league team," Bauer told a scrum of media members, according to ESPN. "I'm just asking for the league minimum, so it's not a money thing. I've served my suspension twice over. I've been cleared of everything in the legal system. If you think about it logically, there's really no reason I shouldn't have a job."

Bauer threw in front of around 100 people on Sunday against his former team with some fans in attendance wearing t-shirts that read ‘Bring Back Bauer.’

The 33-year-old played professional ball in Japan after being released by the Dodgers.  He posted a 2.59 ERA across 156.2 innings across two different levels for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.