Trevor Bauer named Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month for Ducks

Trevor Bauer turned his first month with the Long Island Ducks into a stretch that changed the shape of their rotation. In six starts across the Atlantic League’s opening slate, the right-hander went 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA, 56 strikeouts, seven walks and a 0.97 WHIP, numbers that made him the league’s most overpowering starter in April and May.

That production carried real weight for Long Island. Bauer allowed just 11 runs, 10 earned, and 29 hits in 37.0 innings, then led the Atlantic League in WHIP while ranking second in ERA and strikeouts and tying for third in wins, even after missing the final two weeks of May with an injury. For a club trying to settle into its 26th Atlantic League season, Bauer gave the Ducks a starter who could dominate games from the first inning to the last.

His two biggest outings defined the month. On April 26 at Lancaster, Bauer threw the third no-hitter in Ducks history and the ninth in Atlantic League history, walking one and striking out seven in seven scoreless innings. Then on May 12 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, he struck out a franchise-record 15 batters in eight innings to power a 6-3 win over the Gastonia Ghost Peppers. Those games were not just eye-catching highlights; they were the kind of performances that can reshape a staff’s confidence every time he takes the ball.

The award also put Bauer in sharp franchise context. The Ducks said he was the first Long Island pitcher to win Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month since Stephen Woods Jr. in April and May 2023, and the first Ducks player to capture any league monthly honor since Jackie Bradley Jr. in July 2024. Lew Ford called Bauer’s work “historic” and said he had been “an integral part of our team’s success.”

Bauer’s arrival had been framed from the start as a centerpiece move. Long Island signed the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner and 10-year MLB veteran on April 2, saying he was projected to be the opening-night starter and would be mic’d up for games and practices for content creation. After back spasms sidelined him beginning May 17, the Ducks said June 17 that he was scheduled to start again on June 21. Even with that interruption, Bauer’s early run had already given Long Island a top-line arm and a month of results that matched the spotlight.