What I Think: Harrison Bader was a bargain for the Cardinals
He was quite polarizing for a guy who was pretty good, bang for buck.
Cardinals fans set expectations too high with Harrison Bader. The team didn’t; just the fans. For John Mozeliak and the front office, the Bader saga in St. Louis worked out perfectly.
In parts of six seasons and just over four years of service time, he produced a total fWAR (Wins Above Replacement via Fangraphs) of 11.8 while earning just less than $8 million in salary. For an average person, aka not a celebrity or pro athlete, that’s a more-than-modest chunk of change for your job. But if we’re leaning into sabermetrics here, which states a single WAR at $8 million, Bader is a damn bargain.
And now he’s gone, off to Yankees in a trade last week. Eight days later, Cardinal Nation got the expected video goodbye from Bader via Players’ Tribune.
It was a rather understated, candid, and emotional farewell. I would have expected Metallica mixed with Red Hot Chili Peppers over a chorus of angels in the grass around him. But that’s just the personality color that he puts out on an everyday basis.
Baseball players rarely stick around. An undeniable yet wholly hated fact of the business we are addicted to for life. Think of the rarity of what Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have given St. Louis: Franchise legends who have played their entire careers here. Yes, I will die on the hill that states Wainwright doesn’t start another game in another jersey. No way, Jose.
Bader joins the large group of departed fun players. The latest in an slightly older core of talent that included the likes of Kolten Wong and Matt Carpenter. The latter two have awoken in other jerseys and cities playing good baseball, at least up until Carpenter’s broken foot injury on Monday night. Unlike those two, Bader left town as part of a trade.
Going back to where it all started for him literally will be good for one of the more boisterous players in recent Cardinal history. Bader played the game like centerfield was a separate stage, infusing passion with skill that sometimes turned off certain fans and old school value lovers of the game. He was his own thing from the first moment I spoke with him on the phone to the last diving catch in center field.
Wednesday’s video, one where he continually thanks St. Louis and its fans, should cement his status around town as a good player who touched greatness on occasion and gave back more value than he took home. Think of all the catches that other outfielders wouldn’t have gotten close to, and all the speed traps he created for hitters and pitchers during his six seasons here. The video should also remind folks that he loved playing for this city. Those smiles weren’t generated by showboating points; they were originated by a need to entertain the fans and energize them.
He succeeded and then some, even to a polarizing degree. That was Harrison.
Every time a player leaves here, the video is tearful and the message is the same. The fans are what make the Cardinals who they are and help them shine brighter than most humans, a message confirmed by players who leave town when they are still young men. Baseball divides when fans least like it to, but memories can be savored.
The lasting imprint of Bader should be the kid from the Bronx who stole hearts and lots of runs from opposing teams, all the while displaying a power stick himself and a spark plug that seemingly kept going. Six seasons, four full years, and a future in Yankee Stadium ahead.
Congrats, Mr. Bader. Like your old friend Carp-who is his teammate again after a half season apart-you will wear the two best jerseys in the game. Thanks for the time. You were good.
(Photo Credit: Scott Kane/USA Today Sports)