The Los Angeles Dodgers made their most controversial signing in a while, bringing in reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer on a three-year contract.
While Bauer is mostly loved by the baseball community for his social media interactions and quirky personality, there is a section of fans who were unhappy with the signing due to a few of his social media posts that were viewed as harassment, specifically towards women.
Bauer addressed the issues during his introductory press conference, and it is clear that he has some regrets and wants to be better moving forward.
“Everyone makes mistakes in the past. I’ve tried to learn from them, I’ve tried to learn as quickly as I possibly can, I try to understand other peoples’ viewpoints on things and be better in the future,” he said.
“I think if you look at my history as a baseball player, my history on social media, my history as a person for those who know me well, they’ll see that I apply that process to everything that I do.
“I’m committed to doing that moving forward and ultimately I’m here to be a positive impact on anyone that I can be in the community, in the clubhouse, on the field, at the stadium, whatever the case is. I’m excited to be here, I’m excited to win with this group, I’m excited to interact with the Dodger fans and community of L.A.
“I grew up here, I spent 20 years here before I signed professionally, my parents are still here, I still consider myself a member of the community and I look forward to having a positive impact on the community.”
Bauer planning to do work in community
While Bauer didn’t go into details about specific instances, he plans to change in the future, especially now that he is playing in his hometown.
“I’m not going to go into specifics on everything, all the conversations that I’ve had with people across all walks of life over the past couple years and all the things that I’ve learned. I can say I have learned from those, I’ve spent a lot of my time going and talking to people to try to understand other perspectives,” he said.
“I’m doing my best to be better, as I do in all walks of my life. I don’t think it makes any sense to dive into specific issues in this forum, but I am committed to being better on social media, being better on the field, being better in the clubhouse, being better in life in general.
“As I stated earlier, I’m excited to be part of the community, I’m excited to work with the community, I’m excited to be part of an organization that’s here to win. I’m here to make a positive impact in peoples lives.”
Words are just words though, so it will be up to Bauer to follow through on his promises to improve as a person during his tenure with the Dodgers.
There is no doubt the right-hander is a talented pitcher, and off the field, he has also done some outstanding work in the local communities of the cities he has played in.
The Dodgers took a chance not only with the signing but also in doling out a record-setting contract. It invariably puts even more responsibility on Bauer to not be a distraction in the clubhouse for his social media activity.
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