Bader joins lofty company on Young Stars Week

ST. LOUIS -- Even before Harrison Bader had played a full season in the Majors, his star quality had begun to emerge.

It started last season when Bader arrived in St. Louis with a skill set that reminded Cardinals fans of their beloved Whiteyball days. His profile continued to increase over the winter, first as the player chosen to model the team’s new powder blue alternate uniforms and then when he was featured on multiple programs during a day-long visit to MLB Network.

MLB Network placed Bader at No. 9 on its list of Top 10 Center Fielders Right Now, right between Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte and Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier. And now, Bader is being spotlighted as part of MLB Network’s Young Stars Week, along with the Yankees' Gleyber Torres, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger, the Red Sox's Andrew Benintendi and the Mets' Pete Alonso.

Though Bader, 24, is currently out with a hamstring injury, his footprints have been all over the Cardinals’ start to the season. With play as flashy as his personality, Bader has brought elite defensive ability to a position that hasn’t boasted such since Jim Edmonds roamed center field in St. Louis.

Despite not becoming a starting outfielder until midway through the 2018 season, Bader finished last year leading Major League Baseball in 5-star catches (seven) and Outs Above Average (21), per Statcast measurements. His 19 Defensive Runs Saved were fourth-most, according to FanGraphs, and Bader tied for the National League lead among rookies with eight outfield assists.

The speed that makes Bader such a superb outfielder has also been an asset on the bases. Bader swiped 15 bases a year ago -- the most by a Cardinals rookie since Kolten Wong stole 20 in 2014 -- and he has a Statcast sprint speed of 29.1 feet per second this year. For context, a sprint speed of 27 feet/second is considered Major League average.

Last year, Bader wowed by sprinting home from second base on a chopper to the second baseman. Earlier this month, Bader scored from second on a wild pitch.

The final part of his game to crystallize has been on the offensive end, though it shouldn’t be overlooked that Bader was the first Cardinals rookie outfielder to tally 100 hits in a season since Colby Rasmus in 2009. He also finished among the NL’s top 10 rookies in batting average (.264), home runs (12), RBIs (37), runs (61), doubles (20), multihit games (23), on-base percentage (.344) and total bases (160) a year ago.

While settling in as the team’s primary eight-hole hitter this season, Bader opened the season with a .179/.347/.359 slash line until sustaining an injury on April 13. The Cardinals hope to have him back in center field by the end of the week.