Harrison Bader was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 MLB draft. He showed some power and speed in the minor leagues, but the strikeout rate was often in the mid-to-high 20 percent range. But offense was somewhat secondary as Bader was highly thought of as an excellent defensive player, eventually earning a Gold Glove.
As a result, Bader was able to maintain a long MLB career despite the inconsistent offensive play and teams were always willing to give him a chance.
After spending seven seasons in St. Louis, the Yankees acquired Bader in a trade. Unfortunately, he was placed on waivers a year later and was scooped up by the Cincinnati Reds. Bader then took his talents to the other New York team for one season and then signed for one year with the Minnesota Twins. The Philadelphia Phillies traded for Bader in 2025 and then Bader decided to test the free agent market. Despite being 32 years old, the San Francisco Giants signed him to a two-year, $20.5 million contract prior to the start of this season.
The 2026 season did not begin well, with Bader slashing .170/.198/.358 with a 30.6% strikeout rate. The BABIP was only .191, though, and the ISO of .189 wasn’t bad, resulting in five home runs in 111 plate appearances. But Bader was shut down at the end of May due to plantar fasciitis.
Things went from bad to worse as Bader suffered a left foot injury during a scooter accident last weekend. On Thursday, it was announced that Bader would not be returning this season. It is not known if Bader is being shut down due to the scooter accident or the plantar fasciitis.
Drew Gilbert and Grant McCray have been manning centerfield for the Giants with Bader out, with McCray getting the three most recent starts.
On the season, Gilbert is slashing .237/.323/.356 with an 8.8% walk rate, 16.4% strikeout rate and .119 ISO in 250 plate appearances. The average exit velocity is only 86 mph with a 2.8% barrel rate.
McCray has only accrued 17 plate appearances so far but has a home run and three stolen bases. The walk rate is 11.8%, strikeout rate is 29.4% and the ISO is .231. The .154 batting average has been due to some bad luck, as the BABIP is only .143. The average exit velocity is a laughable 78.7 mph but the barrel rate is 10% and the bat speed is 71.4 mph. Super small sample size.
