Trevor Hauver’s evolution into one of ASU’s best power hitters began this summer. While other members of the Cape Cod League’s Hyannis Harbor Hawks stood pat in the dugout for home games, as most would, Hauver was always on the other side armed with either a flip flop of dust pan.
They were his weapons of choice against the infestation of bees that seemed to always lurk around the Hyannis’ dugout. It became his pre-game ritual, swatting away at the swarm until most had either fallen or fled.
He became a samurai of fending off bees.
When he arrived in Tempe, after playing 30 games for the Harbor Hawks (hitting .267), there were no more bees to attack. No worry, the Sun Devils had other roles for Hauver to fill, gospel to the sophomore.
Last year, he was a freshman seeking asylum, desperately wanting to move past his state of limbo that kept him on the bench one day, then the starting left fielder the next day, then a pinch hitter after that. It grew exhausting.
He played in 45 games but started just 21, hitting .227 with 17 hits in 75 at-bats while ASU (11-0) seemingly changed up its left fielder every game. Then, after a few departures, things started to clear up in the off-season.
Hauver was going to be ASU’s every-day left fielder. A few weeks to go before the season, too, Sun Devil head coach Tracy Smith announced that the Chandler, Arizona native would bat leadoff in front of home-run machine Spencer Torkelson. Now, nothing was left to speculation.
It’s afforded Hauver a sense of comfort at the plate.
“Going to the yard every day and knowing that you’ve earned the starting job in left field,” Smith said, “it allows you to relax a little bit and do what you do.”
If that notion hadn’t become clear already, it shined during ASU’s 13-2 win over Michigan State (1-9) on Sunday. Hauver smashed a pair of home runs, his third and fourth of the season, boosting his average to .405 along with 17 hits and 15 RBI.
“I’m just being aggressive and just looking for pitches to hit,” Hauver said. “Both those pitches were middle-in and that’s where I like to hit them.”
His recent power-surge has been a bit odd. Last season, Hauver didn’t have a home run and boasted a lackluster .293 slugging percentage. In 30 games with Hyannis, his slugging percentage jumped over .100 points but he only had one dinger.
Now, 11 games into his sophomore season, Hauver has already cleared the Phoenix Muni fence five times, including three this week, and touts a .762 slugging percentage, good for second on the team behind Hunter Bishop (.810.)
On the surface, his slugging spike doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, looked at as something that should seemingly only come after a major swing change or a drastic change like that. To the ASU coaches, it’s much simpler.
“You get comfortable, you grow up,” Smith said of Hauver. “Strength, certainly. Just growing up physically as a hitter. That’s what development is, you develop physically, you develop your swing. If you’re developing and you’re on the right trajectory, you get better.”
Added hitting coach Michael Earley: “I think for Trev, it’s really just the opportunity. He always had it in him and I just think it’s easier for someone when they know they are playing every day. Last year wasn’t really his call but he got some good experience.
“I always thought Trevor could hit, always thought he had power, it’s just he’s a year older, a year stronger and it’s really just about him being in the lineup every day.”
Hauver started the season as a picky leadoff hitter, drawing 10 walks in his first four games. It was in an attempt to see more pitches while ensuring he wasn’t taking the bat out of Torkelson’s hand behind him.
Earley said because the coaches trust him so much, Hauver will usually be taking pitchers on normal hitter’s counts (2-0, 3-1), unless the game gets out of hand as many of the Sun Devils’ contests have -- a big reason Hauver only has four walks in the last seven games.
Walks don’t seem like a huge concern on days like Saturday, where ASU had a 4-0 lead after the first inning. Instead, the Sun Devil hitters can be more aggressive on counts they wouldn’t normally touch and, in turn, get more big hits
“If you ask Trev, he always thought he could drive balls,” Earley said. “I think early on he was just taking his walks. He’s a great hitter in high school, that’s why the (Kansas City) Royals drafted him (in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.)”
In two years, when he’s eligible for the draft again, it’s a near lock that Hauver won’t be waiting around until the 27th round. Now armed with a role, he’s finally able to put on display his power and hitting prowess that was unable to break out of the shadows a year ago.
“He’s the total package,” Earley said. “He’s the real deal and I’m glad he’s at the top of the order for us.”
