Who knew? Well, Lucas did.
It's true: on the road, through the course of his career, Harrison, our Harrison has a split of 39 homers, .275/.334/.465/.799, with an OPS-plus of 121. At home? Not so much: 20 homers, .216/.294/.350/.644, OPS-plus at just 80. Ouch!
Combined with his stellar fielding, Lucas—and maybe Cashman—figured that the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium might be just the thing to make him an all-around ballplayer.
Sadly, it hasn't turned out that way.
Since coming to the Yankees, Harrison's home-away gap has not been so extreme, but he's still weirdly better on the road: .240/.280/.420/.700, 87 in the Bronx; .260/.281/.429/.709, 95, everywhere else.
Why this is, I dunno. Maybe he gets too comfortable in whatever apartment he's renting. Maybe he finds travel stimulating. (Houston in the summer? Sweet!) But whatever the case he's a road warrior soldier.
I hate to rank on the guy, as no other Yankee can match his enthusiasm and what they call "General Athleticism." But the obvious conclusion is that Harrison should be a prime trade candidate at the deadline.
It's not just his inability to hit at home. Other parts of Bader's game have just never developed. Despite his speed, he has all of 66 stolen bases in his seven-year career.
And like all too many other Yankees, he simply cannot stay on the field. He has played in barely half the club's games this season, and has never played more than 138 games in any season—and that was in 2018. Still just 29 years old, like so many Yanks he seems to be sliding slowly backwards, unable to keep up, injured constantly.
Harrison could make a tempting piece for some real contender. With the Yankees, though, he is clearly not the answer, long-term, to a key position. He's up for free agency after this year, and it would be a huge, Cashman-typical mistake to give him a big contract.
The only thing that makes sense is to deal him. Which is why we probably won't.
Maybe when he’s home, there’s too much extracurricular activities that weaken the legs?
ReplyDeleteIn the unlikely event that the team decides to sell, the most likely candidates are Torres, Bader, Peralta, King, German , Schmidt, and Severino (Not necessarily in that order) All have some value to us, and some perceived value in the market. The return might be limited and should be confined to players under team control beyond this season.
ReplyDeleteShould we buy, do not expect a “big” deal unless the trading team is amenable to eating some salary. Steingrubber has already drawn a line at the next salary cap threshold, and we are almost at that point now. Think small, like Mrs. Cashman.
He's no DiMag or Mick. But I like his can-do spirit and "now" thinking.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, some guys who are blazing fast are shitty base stealers, and some slower guys are great at it. As long as he catches the ball and hits somewhat respectfully, I'm okay with him. You just have to get into that late 60s frame of mind.
Also, I for one refuse to give credence to the notion that the Starr Insurance patch is actually a transdermal instrument secreting PED’s into the player’s arm. The fact that they are 3-0 with patch in place is strictly a coincidence or a result of playing the lowly Kc Serfs.
ReplyDeleteBTR ....hmmm....
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ReplyDeleteLuv the Patch theory, BTR999
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of "...secreting PED’s into the player’s arm," does Sevy's head look a lot bigger, like on the way to a Barry Bonds skull?
ReplyDeleteHonestly - I agree with HC66- Bader should be traded - but not before/and only after we have a Harrison Bader Mouth Guard night at the stadium.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem, AA.
ReplyDeleteI know, JM. And that was about the one thing I didn't like about Bernie Williams' game, was that he wasn't much of a base-stealer. (I once heard a commentator blame it on his "long legs." Huh?)
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a correctable attribute, with enough attention. But maybe the Yanks just don't run him enough. Or maybe it's the real flaw in Bader's game: he's always hurt.
Perhaps Harrison Bader has been frequenting the midtown penthouse of Viscount Victoria's Voluptuous Vixens, a massage parlor for the excessively wealthy gentleman. Spend your nights at that place, and you'll do a lot better on the road also. They'll keep you up all night in that place, and I mean every part of you will be UP all night.
ReplyDeleteEven if you wanted to trade Bader, what would you get? Only an idiot would trade a frontline starter for him and unfortunately that idiot is the Yankees GM!
ReplyDelete@ Hoss, Yeah, Bernie was never a good base stealer. Base stealing instincts were lacking. And his first step acceleration was not good. He was great going first to home on a double. He made up for the lack of base stealing with his bat, though, especially come playoff time.
ReplyDeleteIf only Bernie had perfected that stuttered bunnyhop that Volpe uses so well to get running.
ReplyDeleteI laughed HC when you singled out the poem and told me that you loved it.
@ AA, You sound like a hippy. Which is okay by me. I liked Easy Rider with Peter Fonda.
ReplyDeleteCoffee, no thanks, I'm already too hypercharged as it is. But you can cue up "The End" by the Doors on the invisible stereo system here. We'll have to get our Yankee funeral music in order here. The funeral will be a little earlier than usual this year.
@ Celerino, I'd think you'd only get prospects for Bader. Maybe a decent pitching prospect and a low level outfield prospect. A team that is getting old like the Yankees doesn't need a 29 year old CF. Especially when Bader is not really playing all that well. He's good defensively, but the bat looks very ordinary, as we all thought it would be. It was a dumb trade to get him, but now we need to unload him.
ReplyDeleteHammer……HAHAHA - A Hippy.
ReplyDelete(Just having a bit of fun on an off day)
But I was pleased to see that you chose not to call me a Hippy but instead said that I sounded like one.
Bravo, Sir.
A journey starts with a single step - just like Volpe leading off of first.
For those who are keeping score...I think the Baltimore series will determine if the Yanks sell or buy...If Baltimore sweeps them...we hope for a fire sale...
ReplyDeleteOne can only hope that any Yankees fire sale will continue to its logical conclusion: selling the Yankees franchise.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that Hal and his partners don't have better things to do with bazillions of dollars than having it tied up in this team. The intricacies of accountancy and the tax code aside, sell the brand now, while the logo still has high value for merch.
Because if it keeps going the way it's been going, the rubes might wake up and think other teams (and in other sports) are way cooler than the lumbering stinkers from interlocked NY land. This could be peak value right now. Plus, Hal could use the proceeds to buy more soccer teams and gold toilet seats.
After all, why try to rebuild the team when you can just sell it and get out of Dodge? Just move on to something that doesn't need fixing. And let somebody who knows what they're doing put a championship team back together.
ReplyDeleteIf the Washingtub Redskimanders brought $6B in a sale, would the NYYs fetch more?
Much more Joe.
ReplyDeleteMUCH MORE
JM - Well said
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, JM. But, alas, Hal will not likely sell until the seats are empty, Yes subscriptions & advertising have withered and the value of the team crashes like Twitter under Elon Musk.
ReplyDeleteBut I will be dancing in the streets if Hal sells the team. Sorry, to keep playing a one-note samba. But there's no way anything can be fixed until everyone in decision-making positions are fired AND Hal sells the team.
Yeah, Bernie always seemed just a cut below being a Hall of Famer.
ReplyDeleteIt was always a little frustrating, because Junior was in the league then, and you wanted him to be that good, and he wasn't quite. He was relatively fragile for the time, got hurt a bunch, never quite became as much of a power hitter as you wanted, couldn't steal a lot of bases, didn't have one of the great arms, etc.
Now? I think of that as all piddling bullshit.
I would pay cash money for a Yankee with the class and consistency that Bernie showed. Year-in and year-out, scoring over a hundred runs, driving in over a hundred runs, hitting over .300, winning Gold Gloves. Generally walking as much as he struck out.
We were so spoiled by that team.
And Bernie has an interesting argument for himself: "Hey, I didn't juice, and I played my whole career against juicers. Doesn't that make me a Hall-of-Fame player?"
(MLB looks at its shoes, coughs, pretends not to hear.)
Very true, Joe. When Forbes or whoever ranks that stuff, the Yanks are usually in the top three of wealthiest sports franchises IN THE WORLD...sometimes No. 2, just after the Cowboys.
ReplyDeleteBUT...remember: when George DID nearly sell, he came within a hairsbreadth of selling the team to the Dolans.
It can always get worse.
HC66 - perhaps you could cobble together a post this week exploring some possible buyers for the Yankees.
ReplyDeleteI'd be very curious to dig into what your thoughts are on that.
(not that I would ever in a million years inappropriately suggest that you do something that you're not inspired to do - but it would make for an insightful read)
Bernie ground it out. Even when he was battered and beaten, he brought great focus to his performance and gave everything he had. He rose to the challenge of the post-season and - I think - is a major reason those teams enjoyed those championships. I don't think he got the credit he deserved. I'd vote him into the Hall, if anyone offered me a vote. Especially in the era of PED's. His performance was human, but heroic.
ReplyDeleteI’ve sold all my Yankees stuff to Browning Ferris Industries, maybe Hal will sell his.
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ReplyDeleteEBD,
ReplyDeleteSorry that we trigger you.
Please have a refreshing cup of warm milk, read Analytics for Dummies and join in anytime.
P.S. GET OFF MY LAWN
Archangel -- "Trigger," "warm milk," "get off my lawn." Perfect mastery of the cliche/Dad joke modality, like all your groupthink posts. Your bible is "Dummies for Dummies," the alt title of a blog for middlebrow geriatrics. Now howl in unison for more censorship of the dissidents, like a good little yapping Brown Shirt herd animal.
Delete"Analytics for Dummies"-- good idea, and one more book on the subject than anyone on this blog has read.
DeleteJoe Torre sarcastically answered critics of Bernie, "Yeah, he's so bad he bats cleanup for a dynasty."
ReplyDeleteOh, I think Bernie Williams should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. The only centerfielder who was clearly better during that era was Junior Griffey, but Junior never got it done in the playoffs. So Bernie was the second best CF in the game for a good 6-7 years and won four WS championships, while playing great in the post-season? Sounds like a Hall of Famer to me.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't put big time winners in the Hall, and guys who played great during the post-season, who exactly are you putting in? Guys who won 15 games a year for 20 years with no championships? Guys who hit 500 homers for mediocre teams? That sounds like a celebration of mediocrity, not excellence and champions.
The thing that hurts Bernie's chances are that it took him a long time to develop into a star. And then with injuries, his career really fell off during the last few years. So people are going to remember that he wasn't much of a player for his first two or three years and his final two or three years. People are much more prone to consider Hall of Famers to be guys who put up big numbers from year 1 to year 15. One poor year at the beginning and one or two bad ones at the end are typically forgiven, but a guy who takes three or four years to develop is not given the credit he deserves for the middle years.