Hunt and Peck

Let Harrison Bader get you pumped for baseball - A Hunt and Peck

“Roll up your sleeves and get to work.”

By lil_scooter93 Feb 11, 2019, 4:00pm EST

MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

Cardinals centerfielder Harrison Bader had a strong rookie campaign. In 2018 he amassed 3.5 fWAR with a slash line of .264/.334/.422, good for a 106 wRC+. Most importantly, he did that with the bat all while providing positive value on the basepaths and at one of the top defensive positions. Defense is hard to judge with only a year of data, but, according to Fangraphs, in 2018 Bader was good for 19 Defensive Runs Saved. Fangraphs has him ranked tenth among qualified hitters in 2018 in fielding value.

Anecdotally Cardinals fans know Harrison Bader for his fearlessness on the field and around the basepaths. When the Cardinals needed a jump, he was there to provide it, either with a diving catch or a key stolen base. Here is he is stealing third base late in a tied ballgame with less than two outs:

The man is just fun to watch. In this video for The Players Tribune, he describes his offseason efforts and what drives him. Feel free to watch it and be inspired to run through a brick wall*.

*Please do not actually attempt to run through a brick wall. You will not be able to, no matter how pumped you get by Harrison Bader.

“If you wanna get somewhere, you’ve gotta roll your sleeves up and get to work.”

As Spring Training begins, @aybaybader has a message for @Cardinals fans. #TimeToFly pic.twitter.com/LLFthFGTWc
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 11, 2019