What Can the Minnesota Twins Expect From Harrison Bader?

[Blyleven2011]

Some people wake up angry at the world ...

Not me , I wake up angry at the twins , would have preferred grichuk at 5 ML than Bader at 6.5 ML plus ...

Grichuk could have been capable of playing centerfield and his hit tool is alot better with more power too  , Maybe the FO tried to sign grichuk  and he didn't want to come here even for more money  ...

[Blyleven2011]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Expect absolutely nothing and then be pleasantly surprised by anything at all.

That's the best way to go through the whole season , expect nothing and get surprised , wins are just as important in April  , may , June,  July,  August  and September  , the twins don't usually have to many winning streaks  , but it seems they have quite a few losing streaks  ...

I know you were talking about Bader ...

[Old Twins Hat]

Imagine facing a LH starter.  It's the Twins' 7th game in a row.  Twins bat Buxton DH and get an equivalent defender in CF, Bader.

If, at the end of the game, Twins need to PH for Bader, and put Castro or Martin in CF, they face, an inning or two of lower quality defense.

In the end, Bader is valuable, not for his offense, but for defense, flexibility and being able to rest Buxton, keep him in the line-up and generally preserve Twins' best lineup on the field.

Bader ain't here to carry the Twins, he's here to carry Buxton, Wallner and Larnach to a better place.

[TopGunn#22]

I'm with the consensus on this move.  I see the positive:  He can play a good CF and functions as Buxton Insurance and he's got some speed, although with "station to station" Rocco he probably steals 10 bases, tops.

But he's completely uninspiring as a hitter.  I'm not looking forward to him taking AB's away from Wallner and/or Larnach, even against LH pitching.  I 100% agree, the better signing would have been Grichuk and have Keirsey available if Buxton misses time with an injury.

Doc Gast, you nailed it when you lamented "how can a team always so concerned about payroll, WASTE it so frivolously and so consistently?!?!? 

I'm a Senior Softball Player...I guess I should be expecting a call from the Twins to take over the Utility player role once Castro is traded at the All Star break.  I'd sure give the Twins a "Veteran Presence."   

[h2oface]

Same old same old, even though they said things would finally be different this year. You can't get better at hitting lefties if you never get to hit against them. Wallner and Larnach will be out of the game by the 5th inning again....... can he pinch hit?

[mikelink45]

The question is how is he as a PH.  We need someone to keep Margot's streak going - we know Rocco has to have his PH option ready at all times and in all innings. 

[PatPfund]

So... we got a popless, slowing, weak hitter who gets injured a lot to back up our CF (who gets injured a lot). I guess we hope he isn't injured at the same time as Buxton? And that we don't blow a valve watching him flail away in pinch hitting situations? Or wonder how our faster, younger, far-more-upside prospects could do if given the chance? Total waste of money and roster space.

[ashbury]

18 hours ago, USAFChief said:

My concern is the opposite. I suspect it's more likely we see Bader PH for Wallner/Larnach in the 5th inning against a lefty reliever rather than the other way around.

But if not Bader, it'd be Martin. Rocco can't resist. And I'd take Bader over Martin 100 times out of 100.

 

Fair point.  I think my purpose was more to explore the best case scenario, and show that even it isn't all that hot.

[Mike Sixel]

18 hours ago, USAFChief said:

My concern is the opposite. I suspect it's more likely we see Bader PH for Wallner/Larnach in the 5th inning against a lefty reliever rather than the other way around.

But if not Bader, it'd be Martin. Rocco can't resist. And I'd take Bader over Martin 100 times out of 100.

 

Even though Martin outhit him last year, and is projected to do so again next year?

[USAFChief]

34 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Even though Martin outhit him last year, and is projected to do so again next year?

I think "100 times out of 100" is pretty clear, no?

[T.O.]

22 hours ago, MMMordabito said:

He's the perfect jedi Master for Star Wars theme night.

If only his first name was Garth, then we'd really have something.

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I think "100 times out of 100" is pretty clear, no?

Why? Why, if he's a worse hitter, do you want him PH more? that's what I don't get. 

Fielding I get....we aren't going to disagree there.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why? Why, if he's a worse hitter, do you want him PH more? that's what I don't get. 

Fielding I get....we aren't going to disagree there.

1. I dont stipulate Martin will outhit Bader in 2025. I don't stipulate Bader is a "worse hitter." He might be. I'd guesstimate it's a pretty close call. I'd guesstimate further there wont be a big difference between the two. 

2. Even if Martin outhits Bader, when someone PHs for Wallner in the 5th, he's not just pinch hitting. He's going in to play OF for ~4 iinnings. When you factor THAT in, any small difference in offense is overshadowed. 

3. Most likely one of these two is going to be in CF when Buxton gets his ridiculous 2 off days per week, and his inevitable IL stint. I absolutely take Bader 100 times out of 100 over Martin. Or Castro. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

1. I dont stipulate Martin will outhit Bader in 2025. I don't stipulate Bader is a "worse hitter." He might be. I'd guesstimate it's a pretty close call. I'd guesstimate further there wont be a big difference between the two. 

2. Even if Martin outhits Bader, when someone PHs for Wallner in the 5th, he's not just pinch hitting. He's going in to play OF for ~4 iinnings. When you factor THAT in, any small difference in offense is overshadowed. 

3. Most likely one of these two is going to be in CF when Buxton gets his ridiculous 2 off days per week, and his inevitable IL stint. I absolutely take Bader 100 times out of 100 over Martin. Or Castro. 

I could have sworn we were discussing pinch hitting in that part. Guess not. 

[USAFChief]

48 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I could have sworn we were discussing pinch hitting in that part. Guess not. 

Mike...please. we both know  better.

Just in case you actually forgot what we were discussing...We were discussing someone PHing in the 5th inning for a LH hitter, my response to Ashbury. Part and parcel of that conversation is, that pinch hitter, or SOMEone, has to play OF. Wallner doesn't go back to RF after Martin PHs for him.

Part of "100 times out of 100" is baseball players play defense too.

 

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Mike...please. we both know  better.

Just in case you actually forgot what we were discussing...We were discussing someone PHing in the 5th inning for a LH hitter, my response to Ashbury. Part and parcel of that conversation is, that pinch hitter, or SOMEone, has to play OF. Wallner doesn't go back to RF after Martin PHs for him.

Part of "100 times out of 100" is baseball players play defense too.

 

 

 

Or, assuming positive intent, I actually though we were discussing pinch hitting. We're done. Have a nice day. 

[Riverbrian]

21 hours ago, USAFChief said:

My concern is the opposite. I suspect it's more likely we see Bader PH for Wallner/Larnach in the 5th inning against a lefty reliever rather than the other way around.

But if not Bader, it'd be Martin. Rocco can't resist. And I'd take Bader over Martin 100 times out of 100.

 

It's not either or:

Both will pinch hit for Wallner and Larnach in the 5th inning. Both will face more right handed hitters than left handed hitters.  

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

baseball players play defense too.

So many here seem to have forgotten this. 

[Mike Sixel]

22 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

So many here seem to have forgotten this. 

They also have to hit, more often than make a play a meh player can't make. Way more often. No one, not one person has forgotten this at all. It's a dial, not a switch. 

[NYCTK]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

They also have to hit, more often than make a play a meh player can't make. Way more often. No one, not one person has forgotten this at all. It's a dial, not a switch. 

If Bader wasn't supplanting Austin Martin, this argument might hold water. 

Harrison Bader was the starting CF for an NLCS team last year and you folks are acting like he's a bum because he's taking playing time away from the kids.

Were the 2024 Mets and the highest paid GM in baseball stupid to have Harrison Bader play 140 games in CF? 

[Mike Sixel]

29 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

If Bader wasn't supplanting Austin Martin, this argument might hold water. 

Harrison Bader was the starting CF for an NLCS team last year and you folks are acting like he's a bum because he's taking playing time away from the kids.

Were the 2024 Mets and the highest paid GM in baseball stupid to have Harrison Bader play 140 games in CF? 

Did they bring him back? Just because he was on a good team, doesn't mean he was good.....but we aren't going to agree on this, and I'm ok with that. 

[Riverbrian]

2 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Did they bring him back? 

6.25 was too much money for the Mets. 

Brought in Jose Siri with a .620 OPS to replace him for 2 million.  

 

 

[Riverbrian]

40 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

It's a dial, not a switch. 

Perhaps the greatest sentence to ever come out of your fingertips. 

[NYCTK]

27 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Did they bring him back? Just because he was on a good team, doesn't mean he was good.....but we aren't going to agree on this, and I'm ok with that. 

They decided to make a better deal, trading a Scott Blewett type for a Harrison Bader type. David Stearns is the man. 

I'd say it's pretty fair to say Harrison Bader is a better hitter and worse defender than Jose Siri. 

Mets fans are happy with Siri and were very happy with Bader. Sad that Mets fans have lesser standards than the mighty Twins. 

[NYCTK]

26 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

6.25 was too much money for the Mets. 

Brought in Jose Siri with a .620 OPS to replace him for 2 million.  

 

 

Wasn't the money. And you guys would have jumped out a window if Falvey brought in Siri. 

Anyone mad about Bader, quite frankly, don't know ball. 

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Wasn't the money. And you guys would have jumped out a window if Falvey brought in Siri. 

Anyone mad about Bader, quite frankly, don't know ball. 

We disagree with you, so we are stupid. Got it. Thanks for the conversation!

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

We disagree with you, so we are stupid. Got it. Thanks for the conversation!

Just wrong. 

[KirbyDome89]

33 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

If Bader wasn't supplanting Austin Martin, this argument might hold water. 

Harrison Bader was the starting CF for an NLCS team last year and you folks are acting like he's a bum because he's taking playing time away from the kids.

Were the 2024 Mets and the highest paid GM in baseball stupid to have Harrison Bader play 140 games in CF? 

He started one NLCS game and he was subbed out in the 6th inning. He appeared in 12 postseason games, started 2, completed one, and had a whopping 9 PAs with one hit. If you can make an actual case for the Twins using Bader in this way you'd ease a large chunk of the concern regarding his signing. 

 

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, KirbyDome89 said:

He started one NLCS game and he was subbed out in the 6th inning. He appeared in 12 postseason games, started 2, completed one, and had a whopping 9 PAs with one hit. If you can make an actual case for the Twins using Bader in this way you'd ease a large chunk of the concern regarding his signing. 

 

Yes. He was a valuable player as the 4th OF in the playoffs. 

Less because he wasn't good - he's exactly who everyone thinks he is - but more because the 4th OF Tyrone Taylor had played himself into the starting role. 

There's not a single Mets fan that would have been mad for him to come back, and his replacement is just a better fielding lesser hitting player of the same archetype. But that's as a starter, not the 4th OF which is almost certainly what Baders role is with the Twins. 

[KirbyDome89]

15 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Yes. He was a valuable player as the 4th OF in the playoffs. 

Less because he wasn't good - he's exactly who everyone thinks he is - but more because the 4th OF Tyrone Taylor had played himself into the starting role. 

There's not a single Mets fan that would have been mad for him to come back, and his replacement is just a better fielding lesser hitting player of the same archetype. But that's as a starter, not the 4th OF which is almost certainly what Baders role is with the Twins. 

What is your case that he'll be used similarly in MN though, that's what I'm asking. Who have the Twins rostered to be a weak side platoon OF and strictly a 8th/9th inning defensive replacement 75% of the time?