Trevor Bauer doesn't really care if you like him.
"Like me. Love me. Hate me. Whatever. Hopefully, you just remember who I was," he told reporters last week at the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.
He's certainly making his 2018 season worth remembering. Bauer threw seven scoreless innings in the Cleveland Indians' 4-0 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday, snapping Pittsburgh's 11-game win streak and improving his season numbers to 9-6 with a 2.32 ERA.
In a crowded American League Cy Young field, Bauer is right up there alongside Chris Sale, Justin Verlander and Luis Severino as one of the favorites, with Corey Kluber, Blake Snell and Gerrit Cole also in the mix.