Showing high-level athleticsm since he debuted in 2017, Harrison Bader brings a strong list of accomplishments to the Minnesota Twins in 2025.
A Gold Glove winner and speedy runner, Bader also flashes occasional power in timely moments. He has created a fun highlight reel that includes 5-star plays in the outfield, aggressively savvy moments on the bases, and clutch hits in the biggest games.
As we wait for Bader to make his Twins debut, please enjoy video of 10 times he came through in a big way for his team.
1. Bader scores from second base on a sacrifice fly
Sept. 22, 2021 at American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wis.
In helping the Cardinals win their 11th of 17 straight games, Bader took advantage of a difficult catch in center field by Lorenzo Cain, who leapt to rob Tommy Edman of extra bases.
After falling to the warning track, Cain started a relay by flipping the ball to right fielder Avisail García, who threw to Kolten Wong near second base.
Bader, his sprint speed recorded by Statcast at 29.6 feet per second, got home so fast that Wong didn't even bother throwing to the plate.
2. Bader throws out Sandy Leon at the plate after Jose Ramirez singles
Aug. 29, 2020 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.
Twins fans wanting to see Bader irritate the Guardians should look no further than this play during the COVID-19 season.
Ramírez lined a single to center with Leon sent around third in a coaching gamble. Leon, while not very speedy, still would have scored if not for a perfect one-hop throw by Bader from medium center field and quick tag by Yadier Molina.
What a strange scene, though, with everyone wearing Jackie Robinson's No. 42 in August because 102 games had been wiped from the pandemic-shortened schedule.
Also note the two-dimensional "fans" in the stands, including images of Ozzie Smith, Andy Cohen, season ticket holders' dogs and Robinson himself.
3. Bader dives on the warning track to make a catch in the gap
July 14, 2024 at Citi Field, Queens, N.Y.
Bader also has made big plays in more recent history.
This one came after he ran 94 feet to the gap in left-center to rob Jacob Stallings of the Rockies. Statcast gave Bader a 45 percent chance of making the play, classifying it as a 4-star catch (out of five).
Funny: the computer also said Stallings' hit had a .120 expected batting average. While those metrics don't seem to add up, perhaps Statcast thought the left fielder should have caught it.
4. Bader eats dirt to steal extra bases from Randy Arozarena
May 14, 2023 at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
Statcast ranked this as just a 3-star play with a 65 percent catch probability.
Whatever, silly computer.
This certainly looked a lot harder, especially the part where Bader dives and scrapes his face on the warning track about 391 feet from home. Three stars?! Tough crowd. To be fair, Statcast also gave Arozarena's sac fly an expected batting average of .480. Make up your mind, microchips!
5. Bader dives to make a 5-star catch against Josh Bell
April 29, 2018 at PNC Park, Pittsburg, Pa.
Sometimes because of positioning, an individual's jump, or another reason, a catch that looks great to the eye isn't necessarily as odds-defying as it appeared. Bader's early season dive to rob Josh Bell is both. It looks great and makes the grade on Statcast.
This is five stars all the way.
6. Bader hits a go-ahead home run against Danny Coulombe
July 3, 2023 at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
The future teammates have something fun to talk about at Spring Training in Fort Myers.
Bader has never hit a walk-off homer in his career, but a tie-breaking three-run jack in the bottom of the eighth will do as a placeholder. Coulombe, then of the Orioles, failed to execute the pitch like few other times in his life.
Conversely, this probably was the last really big high for the Yankees in 2023, because they fell from the thick of the AL Wild Card race to under .500 at the end of the season.
Note: Bader has never hit a home run of any kind against the Twins, which means he's never gone deep at Target Field. He has hit two at Progressive Field and two at Kauffman Stadium, keeping it in the AL Central.
7. Whit Merrifield was out
May 17, 2023 at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Can.
This might be the one — a nexus of the best-looking and toughest catch in Bader's career.
Going by Bader's own reaction at the time, it might be No. 1 for him. Statcast gave it 4 stars, saying Bader had just a 50-50 chance of snaring it. But it also said Merrifield had an expected batting average of .680 after he lined it 103.0 mph off the bat with a nasty 15-degree arc.
The difficulty of reaching for the ball, catching it, and folding his glove under his body so he doesn't fracture his wrist — amazing. Bader was giving himself a Ric Flair "Whoo!" before he even got to his feet. Sometimes it feels good to be a ballplayer.
Yankees analyst David Cone called it a "daredevil play," because most others would be happy to take the ball on a hop and play it conservatively.
8. A drive into center field by Castellanos...
Sept. 13, 2020 at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bader might describe himself as man of faith, but he didn't appear to believe he'd get to this liner by Nick Castellanos. And yet, he made it, going all out for an estimated 72 feet after the batter hit it 102.9 mph. Statcast awarded him 4 stars, determining that Castellanos got robbed despite an expected batting average of .710.
Phew is right.
Right-hander Jake Woodford appeared gobsmacked.
9. Bader makes like Torii Hunter for a home-run robbery
May 26, 2024 at Citi Field, Flushing, N.Y.
One great defensive player does another dirty. Matt Chapman of the Giants probably thought he cleared the fence with a 104.9 mph drive to center, but Bader was a baddddd man and robbed him blind, taking it away. The fly ball had an .810 expected batting average.
Just how Torii used to do it back in the day.
Bader has other home-run robberies to his credit, including a funky one against the Cubs in 2021 in which he used two hands to pull one back against Willson Contreras at Busch Stadium.
10. Bader hits five home runs in the postseason
Oct. 11-23, 2022 at Yankee Stadium, Progressive Field and Minute Maid Park
The Yankees didn't get past Game 4 of the ALCS in 2022 against the Astros, but it wasn't Bader's fault. He hit five home runs in nine postseason games, slashing .333/.429/.833 overall. He also walked four times and reached on a hit by pitch.
Three of his homers came in the previous round, when he helped to eliminate the Guardians in five games in the ALDS.