The Mets bet on Harrison Bader to improve their outfield defense after several injury-plagued seasons in the Bronx and elsewhere.
The former Gold Glove winner has remained mostly healthy and showed plenty of power, hitting two of the Mets’ five home runs in Friday night’s win over the Rockies at Citi Field.
Perhaps most importantly, the Bronxville native has played in 184 games combined in 2022 and 2023, including 82 of 93 games this season, including 84 games with the Yankees before being acquired on waivers by the Reds on Aug. 31 last summer.
“I think I’ve been around here long enough to have some confidence in my plan of attack when I’m out there,” Bader said. “I had some injuries last year, we all know that. My No. 1 focus is just keeping my body in good shape, healthy, ready to play and just going out there and executing my plan.”
The highlight of Bader’s time with the Bronx was hitting five home runs in nine games in the 2022 postseason.
He homered 16 times in a single season with St. Louis in 2021, and his two solo homers on Friday night put him halfway to that total this year.
Mark Vientos and Jose Iglesias had already homered in the second inning, but Bader hit the Mets’ third solo homer in four straight batters off Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon.
It was his first home run since June 26 against the Yankees.
Bader hit another Gordon hit over the left field fence for a two-run homer in the fourth inning to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-2.
This was Bader’s second multi-home run game in his eight-year MLB career and his first since the Cardinals vs. Brewers game on September 15, 2019.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who coached Bader during his time with the Yankees, said the biggest difference is the outfielder’s use of a split pitch against right-handed pitchers.
Bader started the season with a career batting average of .244 against right-handed pitchers, but that number has risen to .312 this season.
“I’ve been playing this game long enough that I understand what they’re trying to do to me in different situations,” said Bader, who will become a free agent again this offseason after his one-year, $10.5 million contract expires. “It’s not going to work every time, but I’m confident in my plan and I can execute it.”
“So I think this year being healthy, being with the training staff and having confidence in what I’m trying to do has given me a little bit more opportunity.”
