Ever since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Jordan Montgomery trade, Harrison Bader has done a little bit of everything for the New York Yankees.
The young center fielder has come through in the clutch with some big hits and has also been able to make some very solid defensive plays in the outfield.
On Wednesday, the young speedster made a spectacular catch against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the bottom of the second inning at Rogers Centre, Whit Merrifield hit a line drive out to center.
The ball was sinking fast, but Bader used his speed to his advantage before laying out to make a spectacular diving grab and rob Merrifield of a hit.
On Twitter, the Yankees posted a video of the moment.
Scheduled defense tweet.@aybaybader 👏 pic.twitter.com/9LThInjWga
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 17, 2023
Bader has always been an elite defender out in center field.
In 2021, he was one of five players on the Cardinals roster to win a Gold Glove, joining Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman, Nolan Arenado, and Tyler O’Neill.
Since being traded to the Yankees, the 28-year-old has continued his elite defense and is becoming a complete player.
At the plate, Bader is hitting for a .300 average with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a .900 OPS.
On the other side, he has a 1.000 fielding percentage.
After making the catch, the Yankees speedster drew a positive reaction from the team’s starter in right-hander Gerrit Cole.
Bader’s defense remains among the best in all of baseball for center fielders, and his play helped save Cole a baserunner in the bottom of the second.
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