Instead of hounding him for an autograph, you might try asking Harrison Bader for the winning lottery numbers this week.
And why not?
Here’s a guy who was just another high school player in cold-weather New York City, was planning to walk on at the University of Maryland – not exactly a college baseball hotbed – and pretty much struck it rich.
You see, he ended up at Southeastern Conference power Florida because Maryland’s coach resigned and, within three years, in 2015, he was an All-American and part of a College World Series team.
Now Bader, less than a year after being drafted, is cutting a swath through the Double-A Texas League – the cutthroat level of the minor leagues – for the Springfield Cardinals. This after entirely (can you believe this?) skipping over the high Class A Florida State League.
Oh, and he’s got the All-American looks to go with it all.
“It’s been a cool story for sure,” the Cardinals’ center fielder and leadoff man said, and then strolled down Humble Street. “But it hasn’t necessarily only been me. I cannot solely take credit for this.
There have been a lot of people behind me – my father and a number of people who have just helped me tremendously along the way.
“I kind of play with a chip on my shoulder knowing that it’s not about me. Because, in reality, it’s not.”
Such comments certainly will endear Bader with the Cardinals’ multi-state swath of die-hards. The question, however, is whether his overall play at season’s end will have the same effect.
But as the TL North Division-leading Cardinals open an eight-game home stand Thursday at Hammons Field, it’s so far so good.
Mostly, he’s playing as if he knows the old saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Call it a positive development for the Cardinals, who drafted Bader in the third round just last summer and then this spring dusted off an old chapter in their player development manual. You see, they jumped the outfielder all the way from the low Class A Midwest League.
The Cardinals did it years ago with Ray Lankford and through recent years, including in 2011 (Matt Adams) and 2012 (Oscar Taveras, Kolten Wong) because of a sense that their talents would play well in a Double-A circuit.
Now here is Bader with a .379 average, 47 hits and a .425 on-base percentage — all league bests. Heck, he homered twice, tripled and singled in a game Tuesday night at Tulsa.
“College kids got a little more experience than a high school kid. I think that factors. And then your ability has to factor in,” Springfield manager Dann Bilardello said. “He was a high pick, so there are expectations. We felt like he was mature enough and ability-wise, he was ready to skip a level.
Bilardello then added, “In spring training, he showed us it didn’t look like he made us go, “Whoa!” In other words, there were no red flags. “We knew there was going to be bumps in the road. That’s with any player.”
The journey
The thing about the minor leagues is that everybody’s got a story, some better than others.
In Bader’s case, telling his journey to old-timers might lead to raised eyebrows. After all, how many times does a player hit lucky 7s, so to speak?
Bader’s fortunes changed in 2012 after Maryland coach Erik Bakich left to become Michigan’s coach. The story goes that Florida coaches, seeking an outfielder late in the summer after two Gators were drafted away, called Bader’s coach, who happened to be sitting by Bakich as Bader competed in a home run derby contest in Fort Meyers, Fla.
“I was very lucky,” Bader said. “Great story.”
And so Bader headed off to Gainesville, where he became a three-year starter, led the Gators in hitting two years and was a key part of their run to the College World Series last summer.
Keep that in mind as Bader tries to star this summer at Hammons Field.
He’s played at a high level for years and has been around sports his whole life. For instance, his mom worked for years for Sports Illustrated and his dad, an attorney, dispatched Bader to Florida most summers, when the outfielder trained at the IMG Academy, a prestigious baseball-only school.
“My dad was always pitching to me after work,” Bader said. “We’d be out there at 6-6:30 trying to beat the sunset.”
Looking ahead
In Bader’s time already, he has a .605 slugging percentage, fifth-best in the Texas League, with seven home runs, five doubles, a triple and 19 RBI.
In essence, he is not playing scared, as is the tendency of so many newbies to the league. Even better, he is fitting in in a marquee position whose lineage in Springfield has featured future big-leaguers Reid Gorecki, Rick Ankiel, Colby Rasmus and Oscar Taveras.
Playing in the SEC makes for a smoother transition.
“I’ve learned a lot,” said Bader, who is 47-for-124 at the plate. “I’m just being a sponge and learning as much as I possibly can. … To the coaches. To the game. To the level of play and the other players around the league who have been here a year or two. I’ll still learn until the day I stop playing this game.”
He continues to learn his outfield routes on fly balls and is learning how to enhance running the bases, including on steals with left-handers on the mound. That’s the assessment of Bilardello, who added that Bader’s strike zone judgement is spot on and doesn’t chase too often. Bader has 30 strikeouts.
“He’s willing to learn. He’s willing to listen. And I think he’ willing to learn from his mistakes, which is a really good thing,” Bilardello said. “You’ve got a kid who’s got a chance to be a pretty good player. He’s handled himself so far.”
In other words, Bader has been enjoying himself. And, again, why not? In a few short years, he has traversed from New York City prep ball to the mighty SEC and to Double-A baseball, which of course is only two steps from the big leagues.
“It reminds you how fortunate everything has worked out,” Bader said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of sweat along the way. It’s been worth every second of it.”
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THIS HOMESTAND: The Cardinals play host to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) tonight through Sunday, and then open a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, for a Monday-to-Thursday series.
PROMOTIONS: Tonight — $1 bratwursts; Friday – postgame fireworks; Saturday – Super-soft cotton Cardinals T-shirts; Sunday – Green camo caps; Monday — $1 toasted ravioli for kids; Tuesday — $1 hot dogs; Thursday — $1 bratwursts
ROYALS PROSPECTS: The Naturals recently added Terrance Gore, the speedster who helped KC to the past two World Series. The team also features outfielder Bubba Starling (3), left-hander Matt Strahm (8), right-hander Alec Mills (12), second baseman Ramon Torres (20), catcher Cam Gallagher (22) and third baseman Hunter Dozier (30) – all ranked by Baseball America. However, top prospect Raul Mondesi was issued a recent 50-game suspension.
DODGERS PROSPECTS: The Drillers feature infielders Cody Bellinger (5), outfielder Alex Verdugo (7), Willie Calhoun (13), right-handers Chase DeJong (16), Chris Anderson (21), outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo (18) and catcher Kyler Farmer (29).
WHO’S HOT: For Springfield – Harrison Bader (18-for-40, .450 average) in the past 10 games. In the same stretch, Bruce Caldwell (12-for-33), Paul DeJong (10-for-33), Luke Voit (11-for-37) and Breyvic Valera (10-for-34). For Northwest Arkansas – Orlando Calixte (12-for-32), Ryan O’Hearn (11-for-31), Mauricio Ramos (13-for-34) and Ramon Torres (11-for-39).
