One of the Giants goals going into the Hot Stove League was to upgrade their outfield defense. Over the course of the winter they made some minor acquisitions of Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer who were definitely defensive upgrades but probably not upgrades of overall value due to terrible hitting numbers. Those guys are long gone and the Giants finally got their upgrade and at a reasonable price.
Harrison Bader OF. DOB: 6/3/1994. B-R, T-R. 5' 11", 210 lbs. 2 yr/$20.5 M(+ $500 K in incentives)
Bader is coming off the second best season of his career the best being all the way back to 2018. He had a comparable season in 2021 but a weak bat held him back in the intervening years. He is a plus defensive CF which the Giants desperately needed. I am sure they will take whatever he can give at the plate. The other part of this equation is Jung Hoo Lee. It makes no sense to sign Bader if moving Jung Hoo to RF is not part of the plan. I assume he was duly informed of this reality at the appropriate time. Lee has limited range but a strong throwing arm so RF should be a good fit for him. If he continues to make contact, use all fields and get on base as opposed to trying for Splash Hits, he can be a strong contributor and Bader will improve at least 2 OF positions by his mere presence. Nice pickup for a reasonable price by the Buster/Zach tandem.
My thoughts, good, good move. Now Lee can quit worrying about Ramos running into him and concentrate on his hitting. Bob in Dixon
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said Doc. He does not need to replicate last years numbers to earn his salary imo. The improved defense will be welcomed by the pitching staff and the lineup now has one less glaring hole.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the change is a positive one for JHL also. Lesser outfield responsibility could save some wear n tear and allow JHL to maximize his hitting potential.