Harrison Bader
Harrison Bader was brought in on a one-year deal by the Mets to help shore up their center field defense after their CFs ranked near the bottom of the league in both DRS and OAA in 2023. Bader provided a strong glove up the middle, with +10 OAA, albeit with a career-low -2 DRS. But his bat was definitely lacking, with only a .234/.284/.373 triple-slash and 85 wRC+. Bader at least provided respectable power and some stolen bases, with a dozen home runs and 17 stolen bags.
Bader was then picked up by the Minnesota Twins this offseason, and he is in the midst of a career year with the stick. Bader is slashing .276/.359/.433 with a .352 wOBA and 129 wRC+ in 158 trips to the dish. Bader drew a walk only 4.8% of the time with the Mets, but now has an 8.5% BB% with the Twins. He is also hitting for more pop, with a .157 isolated slugging percentage, which would be his best since the 2021 season.
He is also having one of, if not the best, years of his career when it comes to outfield defense. Bader already has +9 defensive runs saved, which is only behind Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox and Andy Pages of the LA Dodgers (both have +10) among all outfielders. He also has 5 OAA, which ranks sixth.
The Mets could definitely use that sort of production in center field right now. Bader’s +1.4 fWAR would be the third-best on the Mets, behind just Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. Their Bader replacement, Jose Siri, is on the IL after suffering a tibia fracture in mid-April. Tyrone Taylor has been a strong defender who has had a good run during May, but still has a 90 wRC+. Bader just snuck onto MLB TR’s top 50 list, ranking 49th.
