Finally a center fielder. The Phillies have been searching for an every day center fielder for the last few seasons. Dombroski has tried plenty of outfield combinations with players like Marsh, Rojas, Hays, Wilson and Kepler. None have worked.
It seemed like each player out there had one fatal flaw in their game. For example, Rojas added a defensive range to the outfield but provided zero at the plate. Marsh isn’t a true CF and is better suited in left. The Phillies needed to stabilize their outfield and used the trade deadline to do just that.
With Marsh better as a left fielder, he needs to be our everyday LF regardless of starting pitcher handedness. You can platoon Castellanos and Kepler in right, while playing Marsh and Bader every day.
Harrison Bader is the best center fielder this team has had in the Bryce Harper era. He can make an impact on both sides of the ball and is able to hit left and right handing pitching. Bader should be this team’s everyday center fielder.
The Addition
Bader has been awesome for the Phillies so far. In only 26 games Bader is hitting .313 with 9 RBIs. He has brought stability to a Phillies outfield that has needed it for it for years. He has combined clutch hitting with stellar defense. Like his go ahead three run home run vs the Orioles on August 4th, his first bomb with the club. Or when he hit an 8th inning two run homerun to tie the game against the Mets. And don’t forget when he robbed Corey Seager of a homerun. Bader has added a swagger the team needed.
To compare, Johan Rojas hit .224 this season in 71 games with the Phillies. Rojas also only had one homerun and 18 RBIs. In about a third of the time Bader has knocked in half of Rojas’ RBIs. Rojas only had 34 hits on the season! Bader is already at 25. AND he plays just as good if not better defense than Rojas. I don’t think it can be understated how important of an addition Bader is. He has completely changed the Phillies outfield. Before we had a guy who was an automatic out, now we have a big-league bat.
Showing up in Milwaukee
The two best teams in the National League began a three game series on Monday. Bader had his best game in a Phillies uniform on Monday vs the Brewers. The Phillies took the series opener in perhaps the most entertaining game they played all year. A back-and-forth affair was headlined by Bader and Marsh. Bader was 3/5 with two doubles and 3 RBIs. His biggest hit came in the 8th a two run double to take the lead. He added an insurance run in the 9th with a bloop single to right, proving it was his day.
This win would not happen without Harrison Bader. This game showed exactly why the Phillies added him to this team. His combination of offense and defense is essential. He came up with clutch hits to keep the team in the game and doesn’t miss a beat in center. It’s almost weird to have a CF making each catch look easy.
The sample size is still small for Bader, with only 91 plate appearances with the team. Even in his short time he has changed the outfield outlook for the Phillies. With centerfield shored up and an extra bat in the lineup, look for Bader to be a difference maker for this team down the stretch.
Photo Credit: John Jones/Imagn Images
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