Harrison Bader was having a career year this year before his trade to the Phillies. He was playing every day with the Twins, hitting .258/.339/.439 with 12 home runs and 38 runs batted in before his trade to Philadelphia, a chance to solidify center field for a team that needed some reinforcement. Since that deal, Bader has struggled to both hit well and to land consistent playing time for Rob Thomson. There have been some comments made by Thomson and players that Bader is frustrated a bit with the playing time,
yet his contributions to the team have been meager.
It’s a small sample size of only 54 plate appearances, but he’s hitting under .200 since joining the Phillies at the deadline. The defense he has played when on the field has felt impactful, but his bat has left something to be desired. That brings us to the question of the day: should Bader be given more time to figure it out with consistent, every day at bats instead of being part of the rotation? It seems like the more he plays, the better he is, but he hasn’t truly justified simply being out there each day. Other players in the outfield rotation are hitting well and have played decent defense as well, so it’s kind of a rock/hard place type situation for the player.
What is your feeling on it?
