Yankees' Harrison Bader on a Tear at the Plate

The Yankee center fielder has been red-hot since making his season debut.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
May 10, 2023 4:09 PM EDT

In this story:

When the Yankees acquired Harrison Bader from the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2022 Trade Deadline, the expectation was to get Gold Glove caliber-defense in center field.

On defense, Bader has been as advertised, bringing stability to the position. But his hitting ability, which was below average in St. Louis, suddenly clicked as soon as he donned the pinstripes, displayed by a fantastic 2022 postseason with five home runs.

Although Bader missed the first month of the season with an oblique injury, he’s picked up right where he left off offensively, and has breathed life to a previously struggling Yankee lineup.

In his first eight games of the season, Bader already has a 0.6 WAR, with a .429/.448/.893 slash line, a .558 weighted on-base average (or wOBA), and a 268 weighted runs created plus (or wRC+).

Those first eight games have been full of big hits for the Yankee center fielder and Bronx native. Although the Yankees dropped two out of three against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Bader was the hitting star of the series. In the first game, he rallied his team back from a 4-0 deficit by hitting a game-tying three-run home run in the sixth inning.

In the second game, Bader came off the bench and after a single in his first at-bat, he delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning, which was the difference in a 3-2 Yankee win.

Finally, Bader had a phenomenal game in the series finale, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple, ultimately finishing a double shy of the cycle.

In New York’s three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, Bader continued his hot hitting. In the fifth inning of Game 1, he lashed a triple to center field and came around to score the game’s first run in a 7-2 win.

In the second game, Bader went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in a 10-5 win. Finally, in the series finale, Bader hit a three-run home run in the first inning, setting the tone for a 11-3 blowout, which earned him a well-deserved rest once the game got out of hand.

The Yankees begin another series against the Rays on Thursday, this time a four-game set in the Bronx. If Bader keeps up his torrid streak, New York should like their chances.