Spring Training is just around the corner for the Minnesota Twins after what many fans considered to be a lackluster offseason. While some insiders may not agree , the team still has to get ready for another 162-game season regardless of who they signed or didn't sign.
Someone they did sign was Harrison Bader . He's a 30-year-old outfielder who will be with his fifth team in four years, when he suits up for Minnesota. It's not the flashiest signing, but it's one that was needed. Today we learned some new information on what his role will be with the Twins.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic , Bader will spend the majority of his time in left field this season. It's a position Bader knows how to play, but one he hasn't touched since 2018. As a former Gold Glove winner in center field, Bader will be next to another award winner. Byron Buxton , someone he has great respect for, won the award in 2017.
For the first time in a decade, Bader, who is primarily a center fielder and won a Gold Glove in 2021, will see a significant amount of playing time in left field. Bader's last 651 defensive appearances have come in center field, a streak dating to July 20, 2018.
But with Byron Buxton already entrenched, the Twins are asking Bader to regularly play left field, something he last did in 2015 at the University of Florida.
Bader has only logged 11 games at left field in his career compared to over 650 in center field. The last time he played left field regularly was in college. He spent the majority of 2013 and 2015 at that position with Florida. As Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press clarifies, the right-handed Bader will be the primary left fielder when the Twins face a left-handed pitcher.
This isn't to say Bader will never play center for the Minnesota Twins. He is the main option if Buxton needs time off, but the expectation is that he will be in left. In a small sample of 22 at-bats, Bader is hitting .455 with a homer and four RBIs as a left fielder in his career.
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The Twins might be hoping this move can unlock a resurgence for Bader, after signing him to a one-year, $6.25 million deal. He started 2024 batting .278, but went his final 157 plate appearances with just a .161 average, only starting two of the Mets ' 12 postseason games.
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Last year, Minnesota went with a combo of Manuel Margot and Trevor Larnach in left. Willi Castro , Alex Kirilloff and others sprinkled in depending on health as well. This revolving door did not prove to be successful for the Twins, as they ranked 28th in the majors with -11 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at the position.
"I'm pretty sure I've asked (Buxton) for multiple autographs in the past just because I admire his game so much. The reason why I think I have such good reads in center is because coming up, I did play a lot of the corners when I was younger and also in college. I'm just excited. I want to help this team win and if that's going to come in left field however often as it does, then so be it. I'm here to play and I'm here to win."
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Moving Harrison Bader to left gives the Twins a more consistent glove in the outfield, and gets one of the best defenders in the MLB on the field. Since debuting eight years ago, Bader's 76 Outs Above Average are more than every active outfielder, and his 50 DRS is more than only four. One of those four happens to be Buxton.
One would think that Bader makes more sense as a replacement for Max Kepler in right field, given Kepler's departure to Philadelphia this offseason. As manager Rocco Baldelli explained, left field is a lot bigger than right at Target Field, so putting the better fielder in that position should lead to success.
