"It's pretty cool that I get to play with a Yankee that's another captain" - Harrison Bader can't wait for 2023 season with Aaron Judge at the helm
Harrison Bader of the New York Yankees was one of the best late-season pickups in the entire MLB last season. During the Yankees' 2022 playoff run, Bader went 10-for-35 with five home runs and six RBIs.
Although the Yankees were ultimately swept in the ALCS by the Houston Astros, Bader cemented his spot in the lineup and his popularity with fans.
A native of Bronxville, New York, Bader grew up watching the Yankees religiously. Born in 1994, Harrison Bader was only a child when he watched Derek Jeter's famous walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series.
This year, Bader will be playing alongside Aaron Judge. This past offseason, Judge was named the first captain of the Yankees since Derek Jeter's retirement in 2014. Bader was not even ten years old when Jeter assumed the captaincy in 2003.
Speaking to a media scrum at the Yankees training facility in Tampa, Florida, Bader praised Aaron Judge. He claimed that the 2022 AL home run king was a "captain before it was announced" due to his strong leadership abilities.
"I grew up watching Derek Jeter as the previous captain, so it's pretty cool that I get to play with a Yankee that's another captain"
- Harrison Bader on Aaron Judge https://t.co/a26t6wY4gV
"'I grew up watching Derek Jeter as the previous captain, so it's pretty cool that I get to play with a Yankee that's another captain' - Harrison Bader on Aaron Judge"- @ Yankees Videos
Bader went on to state how Aaron Judge will be the first captain on the team since the departure of his childhood hero, Jeter. In addition to being named captain, Aaron Judge signed a nine-year contract worth $360 million last December, a deal that makes him the highest paid position player in MLB history.
Harrison Bader was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, and made his debut for the team in 2017. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2018, after hitting 12 home runs and 37 RBIs.
In 2022, he was traded to the Yankees for pitcher Jordan Montgomery. Yankees fans, notoriously judgemental, immediately began to view Bader as a fan favorite for his supreme fielding ability and off-field persona.
Harrison Bader for the lead! That's his 5th home run of the #postseason! https://t.co/4WzjazoqOB
"Harrison Bader for the lead! That's his 5th home run of the #postseason" - @ MLB
Between Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge, the Yankees are all set in the outfield.
Alonside some other MLB players like Joc Pederson of the San Francisco Giants, Bader has committed to playing for Team Israel in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Bader is eligible by virtue of his Jewish heritage.
Bader has not committed a fielding error since the 2019 season, and is rightly regarded as one of the best fielders in the game. Playing alongside Judge and Stanton in the outfield, there is no limit to what this team might do in 2023.
With a World Series championship the goal, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees can deliver in the 2023 season.