Jake Bauers

Professional career

The San Diego Padres selected Bauers in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB draft. He began his professional career with the Arizona Padres of the Rookie-level Arizona League, batting .282 in 47 games. In 2014, he played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Single-A Midwest League, hitting .296 with eight home runs and 64 RBIs in 112 games, earning postseason All-Star honors. On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Bauers, Burch Smith, and René Rivera to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal.

He spent 2015 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Montgomery Biscuits, combining for a .272 average with 11 home runs and 74 RBIs. In 2016, he remained with the Biscuits, batting .274 with 14 home runs and 78 RBIs. Bauers played for the Durham Bulls in 2017, hitting .263 with 13 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a career-high 20 stolen bases. After the season, the Rays added him to their 40-man roster.

He returned to Durham to start 2018. The Rays promoted Bauers to the majors on June 7, 2018, and he debuted that night. In 52 games for Durham before his call-up, he batted .279 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. His first major league hit, a double, came on June 9 off Félix Hernández.

On June 24, he hit his first career walk-off home run against Chasen Shreve. He homered in three straight games from July 29 to August 1. On August 23, he scored the walk-off run on a throw from Royals first baseman Ryan O'Hearn. In 96 games, he hit .201 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Did You Know?

• Bauers hit for the cycle on June 14, 2019, against the Detroit Tigers.
• His first major league hit was a double off Félix Hernández on June 9, 2018.
• On September 19, 2021, Bauers hit a 460-foot home run, the longest by a Mariner since Mike Zunino in 2018.
• He homered in three straight games from July 29 to August 1, 2018.
• Bauers scored the walk-off run on August 23, 2018, beating a throw from Royals first baseman Ryan O'Hearn.