Harrison Bader has injected excitement and athleticism into the Cardinals lineup since being granted the opportunity to play on an everyday basis, after Fowler suffered a broken foot. Over the past month, Bader has posted an outstanding .323 average! Bader is also one of the most elite defensive outfielders in the game today by making numerous dazzling game saving plays in the outfield. This brings us to the question, should Harrison Bader win the Gold Glove this season?!
Harrison Bader has some of the most impressive fielding metrics in the game this season. Bader currently ranks first in defensive runs saved among all outfielders, and second among all defenders in baseball, posting an eye popping 21 defensive runs saved! To put this into perspective, Bader has saved two full runs more than any other outfielder in baseball thus far this season! Bader is the only outfielder in baseball thus far this season that ranks in the top ten for catches whose catch probability is rated as sixty percent or lower catch probability, meaning that Bader routinely is able make catches that most outfielders would not. This stat helps highlight how vital Bader’s defense is to the pitching staff and team.
In addition to leading all outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved, Bader also leads all outfielders in Outs Above Average, at an impressive 17. What is Outs Above Average you might ask, in a nutshell Outs Above Average is a saber metric stat that rates a fielders fielding ability based on the difficulty of the catches he has made. For example if Bader catches a ball that has a twenty-five percent catch probability, Bader receives .75 points to his Outs Above Average score. This indicates that Bader has made the most catches on balls with a low catch probability, which ultimately greatly assists the pitching staff and team!
Another valuable asset to Bader’s defense is his versatility. Bader has excelled at all three outfield positions in 2018. Most of Bader’s 2018 season has been split between center and right field, accumulating almost the identical amount of innings between the two thus far this season. Despite this fact, Bader has impressively committed only a single error thus far this season, displaying how sure handed his glove is at all three outfield positions. According to Statcast catch rankings, Bader is tied for the most five star catches (plays with a 0-25% catch probability) this season at six!
The primary weapon that Bader utilizes to make all of these dazzling plays in the outfield is his blazing speed! Bader covers an astonishing thirty feet per second, which ranks only behind speedsters Billy Hamilton and Byron Buxton. On top of his blazing speed, Bader is the owner of a cannon for an arm! Bader has tallied an impressive six outfield assists so far this season, which ties him with perennial gold glove winner, Jason Heyward. This undoubtedly displays that Bader is worthy of a gold glove.
Harrison Bader’s defensive prowess is even more impressive considering who he shares the outfield with. Despite winning a gold glove in his career, Marcell Ozuna has been a marginal outfielder this season. Ozuna has The best aspect of Jose Martinez’s defense is his bat…. Martinez has posted an abismal – 2 defensive runs saved, and is severely limited in his range in the outfield. This means that most times Bader must cover center field and part of right field when Martinez is playing the outfield, which makes his defense even more impressive and vital to the success of the Cardinals.
Another key factor in Harrison Bader’s pursuit of a gold glove this season is for the Cardinals to remain relevant in the postseason race for the final month of the season. Since the termination of Mike Matheny and John Mabry, the team has taken off like a rocket, surprisingly playing themselves back into postseason contention. This recent stellar play from the team has captured the attention of the national media, which will ultimately help bolster Harrison Bader’s pursuit of a coveted gold glove. Bader’s wizardry in the outfield has been highlighted nearly every night on media outlets such as MLB Network, which will gain the attention of the baseball writers, who vote for the award.
A potential factor that may detere Bader from capturing his first gold glove will simply be his eligibility. According to the rules listed on Rawlings website, a player must have logged 698 total innings through the team’s 138th game to be eligible for consideration. Since Bader was forced to platoon with Tommy Pham and Dexter Fowler for the first half of the season, he may unfortunately not be able to accumulate enough innings to be eligible for the award. One more factor that may work against Bader’s Gold Glove chances is the fact that he is a rookie. Ichiro Suzuki is the only rookie in baseball history to ever capture a gold glove.
Regardless of whether Harrison Bader wins a gold glove this season, his defense is an invaluable asset for the Cardinals. His hustle and superior defensive skills have quickly transformed him into one of the elite outfielders in baseball! If the Cardinals hope to make a postseason push in September, Bader will undoubtedly need to be patrolling the outfield every game. It is only a matter of time before Harrison Bader captures his first gold glove, which will surely be the first of many in his career.
