Giants Talk: What Harrison Bader wants to prove in first season in San Francisco

San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic at Spring Training before the 2026 MLB season.

Giants Talk: What Harrison Bader wants to prove in first season in San Francisco originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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All right.

Harrison Bader, first of all, welcome to San Francisco.

Welcome to Scottsdale.

I, I wanna take you back, way back.

You're- We don't see that many guys who grew up in New York City who become baseball players.

What were the challenges of that for you growing up in the city and, and trying to, you know, get to this point?

I feel like that's a great question to lead with, honestly.

I think the biggest thing is just, like, the space.

Mm-hmm.

you know, working out indoors constantly during the winter, where there wasn't any space to go outside, either due to snow, weather, or just lack of baseball fields.

Then as you kind of progress into the spring, spring seasons and then ultimately, like, in the summer, same issue.

There's a lot of people with fewer baseball fields- so the time was very limited.

and then, you know, additionally, not to complain at all, but the fields aren't exactly, like, kept very well.

Yeah.

So, that's the main reason why I play the outfield, actually, is because I was genuinely scared of fielding- ground balls.

So.

Well, you said that on your Zoom, and I was like, "Yeah, probably a lot of weird hops."

Yeah.

Probably.

Terrible hops.

Yeah.

Just the fields was just, they weren't maintained very well.

So, yeah, I, I think just, like, the spacing thing, but I mean, in many ways, all of those, like, challenges ultimately became kind of the driving force- behind being successful and ultimately getting out of New York City baseball.

because when we did get the opportunity to travel down South when I was, you know In high school, I played for the New York Grays Baseball organization, which is run by David Owens, and still going very strong, still sending kids to school, still receiving plenty of scholarships so kids can use baseball kind of as a vehicle- for their education.

So, when we did get to travel down South, mainly Marietta, Fort Myers, Jupiter, all these places, kinda these, like, perfect game hubs, you know, we kinda felt like we were, like, unleashed onto- these, like, gorgeous, manicured fields, and in the sun, and it was warm.

So, you know, in many ways, I guess the challenges, which did exist, they, they really were, it turned out to be beneficial because, as I kinda progressed, I remembered how difficult it was to kinda get my training in.

So, as challenging as it was, it actually, it was great, and I try to reiterate that to kids, you know, in the inner city playing in New York- Yeah that it is difficult, and we have Instagram, we see kids on fields and everything right now, but, you know, use this and remember this and use this as fuel to kind of propel yourself forward because there are players who have managed to escape, and I'm no different than anybody else.

I'm not special.

I just, just love to play, and I love to work hard.

So, so yeah, I think, I think that's kind of the New York City story about baseball.

It took you all the way then to now, where you, you hit free agency again.

You get another shot at this.

We know why you made so much sense for the Giants defensively there in center field.

Why do they make sense for you?

Well, the biggest thing was opportunity for me.

you know, everybody wants to talk about free agency contracts and money, and that's, that's fine.

I understand, but, you know, in order to get more money and get more years under your belt and, and be effective, you, you need opportunity.

You need to be on the field.

you need to be on the field as often as possible.

It's always been my goal to play as many innings in center field and get as many at bats as possible, in a given season.

So for me, the Giants made perfect sense because of the opportunity, and I, I imagine that being, you know, a, an intense role in center field, where I'm playing a lot more than I have in the past.

And, you know, I've really been training for that my entire career.

I think many organizations enjoy plugging and playing and platooning and whatnot, but, you know, I'm gonna continue to prove that I don't need to be platooned or, or plugged in or out.

I can really hold it down in center field, and, I think just receiving that opportunity here, is great.

So I'm just looking forward to proving that every single day and taking on that workload and being that centerpiece that the Giants are looking for, and just gonna, you know, play, play to the best of my ability as often as I can.

So, outside of the money and all that stuff that people love talking about about free agency, having a landing spot for opportunity is most important.

I think you had reverse splits last year anyway, so they can't even platoon you if you- It is what I'm saying you make it easy for 'em.

So.

See?

you, you know, it's not a great place usually for hitters in free agency, but you are pretty, like, when you get the ball in the air, it's, it's pull side.

it is a pretty fair ballpark I, I think, for the most part.

Have-- Did that play into it at all for a right-handed hitter that your home runs for the most part are gonna be okay at Oracle anyway?

That didn't play into it at all- because I, I know that when you get it correctly pull side, you, there's really no park that can hold that in.

So, you know, I, I wouldn't change my game if it was any different anyway.

I think it's really just important to continue to do what you do really well at the plate offensively and set yourself up for that level of success.

And regardless of the park, I think, you know, you just need to take your best swing as often as possible.

Yeah.

So, you know, listen, if anything, there's a lot more space, in other parts of the park, which I haven't necessarily had in the past.

Some, some balls that may have, been caught in right center or right maybe will get over their head 'cause it's kind of a short porch.

But I think the intent as a hitter still remains the same, and, you wanna, you know, work to your strength as a hitter.

So I think with regards to that, you know, if you do it properly and well enough, I don't think any, any park will kinda keep you in.

So I'm hoping that that plays- plays well for me this year.

I think a lot of Giants fans probably know that you had a pretty good run down the stretch last year in Philadelphia in some pretty big games.

And your postseason success with New York, I mean, the, some huge moments there as well.

What do you think allows you to be so comfortable in those tight spots?

I think in those, you know, those playoff situations, you know, all the pressure's kind of off of you because it's been such a long season up until that point, and, you know, getting to the playoffs is an accomplishment.

So when you think about what it looks like to kinda seal the deal and, you know, get to a World Series and win a World Series, I think all the pressure is taken off of you individually to perform, and you really change your mindset towards, "What does the team need from me today?"

especially in big s- big moments or big situations.

if you're doing things solely for the team or, you know, for, like, the, the playoff big at bat or big play, when you're focusing on things far bigger than your own performance, I think your game opens up tremendously.Um, and the pressure actually alleviates and stuff starts to slow down because it can be very loud, and obviously on the mound is most likely very talented.

So shaving off all those factors and just honing in on the baseball, I think really good things happen.

So, yeah.

When people think that the pressure goes up, in many ways, I think we work towards, you know, again, alleviating that.

Mm-hmm.

So had some success and wanna do it, do it again, obviously, in these colors.

The big story, other than the, the newcomers, is the new manager here, Tony Vitello.

Mm-hmm.

And, and you're a Florida guy in college.

He was in the SEC.

Did you cross paths with him at all, or, or did you hear about him at all before you decided to come here?

Yeah, I'm very familiar with him.

you know, my head coach, Kevin O'Sullivan at UF, was very, very close friends with him, so, as this kind of process was picking up, he got wind of it, and Sully reached out to me, and obviously had the, the best things to say about Tony.

And experiencing him now for a couple days, I think the biggest thing that, that will matter the most over the course of a very long season where, you know, inevitable ups and downs will take place, is just maintaining that, that energy, which he has.

seems to be a very positive guy, but is also very realistic, I think, which is also very important because we can never be too inflated one direction or the other about whatever might be happening.

So I think with energy and being realistic, and someone who's willing to just, you know, stay in the trenches with you, it's very easy to play this game when everything's going well.

but it's the guys who are still there when it's challenging, I think is what allows teams to move in the right direction and get themselves out of it, 'cause those things are inevitable.

Mm-hmm.

So I think Tony brings a lot of energy, brings a lot of passion.

he cares a lot about the game, understanding its history more and kind of how we got here.

he's given a lot to baseball.

and in many ways, that's what it takes.

So I'm excited to work for him.

I'm excited to work with him.

and yeah, I just think that, I think he's certainly built for the, the long season.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

I don't know if you know this, but Hauser and Malley are like right near the top of the guys you face the most in the big leagues, and I, I guess part of that was the division there.

what are the challenges of those two guys when you're in the box?

Yeah, that was back, too, when they were, you know, we had the old schedule.

Mm-hmm.

So we were playing in-division opponents far more often than we are now.

So I, I guess it makes sense that I have as many at-bats and experience off them.

I, I think the big thing about what they do is that they're very consistent, you know?

they're consistent in how they attack guys.

I think they're workhorses.

They stay healthy.

for the most part, we all run into things here and there, but having the ability to put up long seasons of thirty-plus starts and, be able to bounce back from some stuff, I think contributes to how, how good a guy's work ethic is.

So, you know, when you have a pitcher who's experienced, who has a really good work ethic, who's disciplined, I think, you know, they're gonna have a lot of success.

So I think they bring a good variety of, of stuff, in terms of what they throw and, again, I think as long as they just stay healthy and they focus on what they do really well, they'll be as challenging as they were when I was in the Central- on this team.

So I'm excited for them.

You kinda mentioned what you tell kids in New York.

I, I don't know that I've heard many players recently kind of be so self-aware about-- And you said this on the, the initial call with us, "There's like limited time to do this, and you're gonna enjoy it."

how would you explain that mindset that you have of, of that you're just gonna enjoy every moment 'cause you know that there's, there's only so much that, that you can do out there?

The biggest thing is just playing where your feet are.

I think baseball players are, are trained so intensely to focus in on whatever's directly in front of us, but the guys who can use, past experiences, kind of as like a rear view mirror, if you will, to learn from them and then, you know, adapt and adjust for the current moment, I think will allow you to kind of have a nice blend of reminding yourself where you came from and how challenging it was to come here, but also be reassured that you do have a lot left in front of you.

and I think we lose that if we look too far ahead.

You know, if you're a young player who's trying to work his way through the minor leagues, if you're a young player who doesn't know what school to go to, I think at the end of the day, baseball is so connected that you will end up in the major leagues if you belong in the major leagues.

But in order for you to get there, you have to remain present.

so I guess to answer your question, I just know how hard it was to get here, and furthermore, I know how hard it is to stay here.

And even further than that, I know how hard it is to have success here on a continued, on a continued and sustained level.

So, I just think using and reminding yourself of how fortunate you are, I think allows you to kind of take the, the present moment, for what it is, which is a, a beautiful and just awesome, awesome thing to experience.

So I try to stay in that little, you know, that little dome, if you will, and, just keep chugging along and rack up as many wins and hopefully a ring as possible.

All right.

My last thing for you, 'cause a lot of fans have asked me this, are we gonna see Bader tots in any form, or is that a, a thing of the past?

Yes, absolutely.

So obviously my last name is Bader, so- the Phillies were fantastic.

They, uh-- I try to do as much as I can with the charities I'm involved with, so we raised a lot of money for the Christian Rivera Foundation, which is a foundation in New York City, based out of New York City, that, we generate a lot of, funding for a very challenging, brain stem cancer in children.

So I had Bader tots in Philadelphia, which was awesome, and now the playoff of my last name is now gonna be like Bay, like B-A-Y, der tots- Mm-hmm which plays great.

So hopefully we can do something similar where we're raising money for, for charity through food, through like a fun playoff of, you know, one of, one of the Giants players, and I think it's great.

I think we might maybe, thinking out loud now, maybe some like Old Bay Seasoning with that.

Just something, something fun, but definitely wanna integrate, Bader tots in San Francisco.

And I had them in Philadelphia.

They were fantastic.

I love tater tots, so hopefully we can bring them to the West Coast.

All right.

We will find a way to, to do something there soon.

I hope so.

Yeah.

Welcome to San Francisco.

Absolutely.

Thank you for joining us.

Thank you so much.

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