Harrison Bader

Position: CF
Level: Triple-A
Affiliate: Memphis Redbirds
League: Pacific Coast League
Born: 03/03/1994 (Age: 30)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 195
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: 3rd Rd., 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (STL)

Prospect Spotlight

With the Cardinals 25-man roster in flux, the rapid ascension of the 2015 third-rounder could soon help ease the pressure the St. Louis front office is under to find consistent contributions from their outfield corps. While Bader isn’t an overly projectable physically, he is a plus athlete and packs significant strength into his six-foot-tall frame. He is very quiet at the plate with very little wasted movement and an extremely short path to the ball. He has a level plane, and brings average raw power generating excellent carry to the big part of the field thanks to above-average bat speed. While his over-the-fence pop is mainly to the pull side, he has more than enough juice to drive the right-center field gap. Bader’s power fell off a little bit when he was promoted to Triple-A in 2016, but the .216 ISO he posted in 356 Double-A plate appearances that year is proving to be no fluke – he has adjusted well in 2017 (his first full season at Triple-A) and posted a .199 ISO mark through 315 plate appearances this year.

While Bader is not a true five-tool prospect, he will pressure the defense and hit to the situation — he gets on base (career .347 OBP, and .356 this year), but is not passive at the dish and is aggressive in the zone. That said, the 24.3% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate he’s posted thus far in 2017 are indicators that those OBP numbers won’t hold up versus big league pitching – his hands are very quick and it is tough to beat him inside, however he can get overly aggressive with two strikes and will chase. However, the ingredients are there for him to reverse those trends as he continues to develop in the pro game. When he does go outside his zone at the plate, it seems more a result of him trying to do too much and trying to hit pitches that he can’t square up rather than a lack of pitch recognition, or being overmatched. The swing mechanics are so compact and efficient that as his approach matures, he should start to get more selective and be able to cut back on the swing and miss.

A plus defender in center field, Bader has above-average range into the gaps and does an excellent job closing in on balls hit in front of him. The arm strength is fringe average, however his accuracy is quite good and plays up the arm to an average grade.

Bader has the offensive weapons to hit anywhere in the Cardinals’ lineup – however his doubles-type power and plus run tool make him a potentially ideal fit towards the top of the order. Going forward, I would expect Bader to be able to make the necessary adjustments to his approach and eventually be a high-average hitter as well. Much like A.J. Pollock (CF, Diamondbacks), Bader brings a nice set of tools on both sides of the baseball, and should bring impact to a big league roster as a solid everyday guy.