Harrison Bader has been exactly what the Phillies need

Harrison Bader was brought in from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline to give a jolt to the struggling Phillies outfield. There weren’t particularly high expectations for Bader. He was a good player, yes, but was he enough?

The answer has been a resounding yes.

Bader has taken what has already been a career season to another level since joining the Phillies, and his outstanding series against the Mets is merely a culmination of his outstanding play.

It’s not hyperbole to say that this series against the Mets was the most important of the season. It was the last time the two teams played each other in the regular season, with drastic implications on the playoff picture. The Phillies were also just swept in a 3-game series at Citi Field, so they had a lot of pressure to prove they can beat the Mets at all, let alone a possible playoff matchup for the 2nd year in a row.

Not only did they prove they could beat the Mets, they dominated them in a 4-game sweep to all but clinch the division, and in large part thanks to the play of Bader.

Game 1, he was a silent 0 for 3, but games 2-4 are where he took off.

He was overshadowed by Kyle Schwarber‘s 50th home run of the season in game 2, but quietly had a great game. Bader had a 3-hit day with a home run and 2 RBIs. His 2-run homer in the 2nd is what gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead. He’d also score on the Schwarber home run thanks to a single earlier in the inning and hit an RBI single to add insurance later in the 8th inning.

He’d be great from the leadoff spot again in game 3, getting 2 hits and scoring twice. In game 4 on Thursday, he had another 2-hit day and gave the Phillies the lead in the 6th inning with an RBI single.

As for everything else Bader has been doing, let’s start with the glove. Outfield defense has been hard to come by all season. Before the deadline, Johan Rojas was the only elite defender they had, and he’s been a liability at the plate. To his credit, Brandon Marsh had been a good defender as well with an outs above average of 1 on the season. The only problem is that Max Kepler has been mediocre with an OAA of -1, and Nick Castellanos is one of the worst defenders in baseball with an OAA of -12. Not to mention their struggles at the plate at various times throughout the season.

Bader solved this problem easily. The former gold glover has an OAA of 6 on the year and has been a godsend in centerfield. This season, he has the 7th-best OAA among NL outfielders and the 7th-highest fielding run value among NL outfielders.

The bigger question surrounding Bader was whether he could provide a spark to the Phillies’ lineup. Not only has he been able to provide a spark, but he’s arguably been the best hitter acquired at the deadline.

He’s hitting .339 (3rd best on the team) with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs since the deadline. If Bader can be half of what he has been for the Phillies so far in the postseason, it could solve one of the team’s biggest problems over the last few years. One of the common themes among the playoff losses for the Phillies in recent years has been the offense collapsing. If you throw a sparkplug bat like Bader into the mix, it could change the entire dynamic of the team come October.

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