Heading into the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline on July 31st, the Philadelphia Phillies had 56.4 winning percentage and were a half game behind the New York Mets in the National League East.
While the Mets have a 14-23 record since August 1st, the Phillies have an impressive 25-13 record. Heading into action on September 11th, the Phillies have a ten-game lead on the New York Mets in the NL East standings and three games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-best record in the National League.
While Closer Jhoan Duran was the star-level acquisition that steals headlines, another trade the Phillies made has completely changed the team on the field and solidified what was previously a position of weakness.
Is Harrison Bader One of the Phillies’ Most Important Players?
Before the July 31st MLB Trade Deadline, the Phillies statistically had the worst outfield group among all playoff contenders. Max Kepler’s rough first half of the season, combined with underwhelming play from Nick Castellanos and Johan Rojas’ non-existent offense, made the Phillies lineup lack depth.
But since Harrison Bader joined the Phillies, he has the best On-Base Percentage on the team (.403). In order to understand how impressive this number is, look at the Phillies best hitters and compare the On-Base percentage:
-Kyle Schwarber (.368)
-Trea Turner (.356)
-Bryce Harper (.353)
Now I understand that Bader is not an elite player for his career with a .247 Batting Average in 908 games played. But he has shown for stretches of games that he can be a high level offensive production player.
The most famous hot streak Bader got on was during the 2022 MLB Playoff when he hit five home runs in nine games for the New York Yankees. But the reason why Bader has a career average of 3.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per season is not because of his offensive potential.
Harrison Bader is a Gold Glove-winning centerfielder during his years playing with the Saint Louis Cardinals. According to MLB Fielding Analytics, Bader has been rated as one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball in two of the last four years.
The Phillies win-loss record since acquiring Bader cannot be ignored. But also the way that Max Kepler has played since August 1st (5 Home Runs and 17 RBI in 23 games) along with Brandon Marsh settling into his new role (.390 On-Base Percentage with 12 RBI in his last 30 games played).
For the first time in 2025, the Phillies outfield is no long the “Weakest Link” of the baseball team and in large part it is because of Harrison Bader’s impact on the field and in the locker room.
If you are looking for some local establishments to watch the Phillies’ Red October run this fall, here are some of the places we recommend you check out:
Places in South Jersey to Watch Phillies Playoff Game (with the Sound On)