In his brief cup of coffee last year, Harrison Bader hit three homers, stole two bases in only 85 ABs. Mr. Prorater says, “He’s a 20 homer, 15 steal guy in a full season of at-bats. Also, if I saved a dollar a day my whole life, I wouldn’t be in hock up to my eyeballs. Prorating sucks!” Damn, Mr. Prorater, so happy and sad — sappy? Nah, prolly not. A 20-homer, 15-steal guy is nothing like what he is though, right? In Triple-A in 431 ABs, he hit 20 homers and stole 15 bags. Okay, that’s spooky like your grandma’s linen closet. “I don’t seem so dumb now, do I? By the way, my mortgage is $3200 a month, so if you hang out for an hour, I’m gonna have to charge you $4.44, based on a 30-day month.” Okay, Mr. Prorater is now getting annoying. Prospector Ralph placed Harrison Bader 29th overall on his top 50 prospects for 2018 fantasy baseball. There, he said, “More than likely Bader will surpass his rookie limits in the first half of next year. My hope is the Cardinals do Bader a solid and trade him to a place he can start opening day. Because, make no mistake, he is ready. Bader’s fatal flaw is his lack of power vs. right-handers, which could see him on the weak side of the platoon early in his career. Grey’s fatal flaw is his hairlip.” Ouch! Totally unnecessary. So, what can we expect from Harrison Bader for 2018 fantasy baseball?
Where’s Harrison Bader playing? Hmm, an interesting pregunta, I sí. Right now, the Cards have Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty and Dexter Fowler in their outfield. Bader will be 24 years old in June, and has done enough to start for a major league team, i.e., an affirmative atcha Prospector Ralph. That’s not an affirmative achoo, but gesundheit anyway. Bader literally literally literally does the same thing at every stop in the minors. He’s got the 20/15 on lock. His strikeouts are a little high, however. Last year in his stint with the Cards, he struck out 26.1% of the time, which comes after a 24.6% clip in Triple-A. Like a stereotypical Italian would say, that’s notta so good, maybe you wait for the meatballs. After every brief stint at a level, he does tend to find his sea legs like Russell Crowe in Master and Commander (hey, it’s on in the background). In Triple-A in 2016, he hit .231. Last year in Triple-A, he hit .283. Last year in the majors, he hit .235. In 2018, he could hit .280. P to the erhaps. Where does he play keeps nagging at me, though. I have more question marks than the Riddlers’ leotards about Pham being as good this year as last. As I said during the season, the Cards always seem to have these randos flashing fantasy value only to revert the next year. Also, Grichuk is lurking. Maybe Grichuk is 2018’s Pham. Maybe 2018 Pham is 2017 Pham. (I just confused myself, but let’s continue…) Plus, Tyler O’Neill is lurking. Maybe O’Neill decides to “play right” for the Cards in 2018. I don’t know, but Bader is either going to get 75 ABs this year and just bounce around from the minors to backup major league outfielder. Or Fowler, Pham and Piscotty will get hurt and Bader will see 500+ ABs. I’d put either scenario at 100% probability, which I realize makes no sense. So, 20/15/.260 in 550 ABs, but, for 2018, I’d conservatively give Harrison Bader the projections of 29/10/35/.251/5 in 275 ABs.
He sounds more like a 30th round NFBC type guy than a 4th or 5th outfielder in a 12 team league.
@Packers: Unless he’s traded to another team for more outfielders. The cardinals always need more outfielders. Giancarlo, Car-Go, MORE OUTFIELDERS!!!!
@Ralph Lifshitz: Tyler O’Neill!
@Packers: Could be, Packs, depends on PT
Grey! You’re the man! Need some help picking 2 players to drop out of this group. It’s a roto keeper league. Keep 10 out of…..
Kershaw
Trout
Correa
Arenado
Altuve
Goldy
Stanton
Springer
Bryant
Bellinger
Betts
Acuna
I have to drop Acuna by can’t decide on the other drop? Who would you let go of if you were me?
Thanks for all the great work brother!
@Crank Viola: Good problem to have…Springer
@Crank Viola: delete the damn league and man up for some real competition, that’s pathetic.
Here’s hoping my Cards (who generally proceed at a sloth-like pace to improve the team) and Stanton and Jeter pull the trigger, resulting in an OF from left to right: Pham, Fowler and Stanton. If so, and Bader isn’t sent packing in another deal, I could see Bader getting easily the 275 ABs you project. Fowler has played in over 120 games just once in the last 5 years. Pham has eye issues and will be kinda old (30) for finally breaking through. Stanton/Piscotty can’t be considered ironmen even if we don’t call them injury-prone. Just my 2 cents, but I’d prolly go 375 ABs.
Thanks for these prospect posts! Can’t wait for your rankings, Internet Friend/Lothario!
@Squat Cobbler: And that’s not even mentioning O’Neill, Sierra, Grichuk, Piscotty, and Jose Martinez. Someone, maybe multiple someones, must be traded.
@Ralph Lifshitz: For sure. Just read where they’ll try to move both Grichuk and Piscotty. Presumably only if they add one of Stanton/Ozuna/Yelich. Could see Martinez being a nice bench bat again. O’Neill has nothing left to prove in the minors and Sierra was literally the best Cards player on the field while he was in the bigs in 2017. They gotta clear the deck (pun point?!)
@Squat Cobbler: Not that it matters to anyone but, I read where the front office recently asked Fowler if he’d be cool moving to left. So resulting OF should read, from left to right: Fowler, Pham, Stanton.
Regarding the Cards acquiring Stanton….Well, at least a man can dream can’t he??!?
@Squat Cobbler: Thanks, SC! Yeah, Fowler, Piscotty and Pham might give you 70% of a season
Rank overall or did I?
The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Future
Weeknd and Lamar different things, but Lamar, Weeknd, Future…
We lost all the debate about Altuve vs Trout… Phew, don’t have to see that one in a future post.
@Ralph Lifshitz: the rare Grey agreement with me. We have to redo it
HAHAHA… So true
@Grey: good Jews think alike
No one’s out sneaking a good Jew like myself!
@Grey: are you saying you are a Jewdi?
I am your Jewdi!
@Grey: Obi Wan Kenostein!
More of a Bingostein, but I’ll take it.
@Grey: sounds like an old Jewish woman’s name
Really all old Jews are one in the same…
@Grey: like how you learn we are all one when you’re on acid?
Not quite that mind-altering… More like you know eating a bag of Doritos is not good for you, but you do it anyway…
@Grey: hanging out with old Jews is bad for me?
Nah, good camouflage
@J-FOH: You guys have been two peas in a pod. I’m the black sheep now, which is fine. My goal is destroy you both like Drago.
Win the RCL league against me, and we’ll talk… Snap!
@Grey: so you and me can talk! double snap!
@F-FOH: don’t you look the other way when you know I’m in the cool kids club
@Ralph Lifshitz: and there is your shortcoming. You are always trying to win a competition that only exists in your own mind. Stoner!
Haha
@F-FOH: You know it exists, and your prior insolence is only further proof.
@Ralph Lifshitz: my need to be entertained at the expense of others fuels that
Don’t worry, I screenshot it
Did Stanton winning MVP blow up the site? Can’t see any new articles
Yes! You’re on the newest article for baseball what sport’s articles are you not seeing?
@Grey: The Harison Bader outlook, but I thought there was an article yesterday by Lance about what-ifs affecting 2018 draft positions.
@Fungazi: Should clarify, the most recent article is Bader – Nov 15th
Yeah, see comment above
Yeah, Lance’s article was up, but the site got knocked off for most of yesterday, so I’m gonna post it again tomorrow, then we’ll be back up to speed for Sundays with Ralph
@Grey: Thanks Grey, thought I was going crazy for a minute when you said this was the newest article.
Sorry for making you question your sanity!
@Grey: Better that than find out I went back in time 2 days without checking lottery numbers right?
That would be a total bummer
@Grey: I like Sundaes with Ralph better. It’s sweet.
Poppin’ Maraschinos
I watched that Eichman trial movie on Netflix. Ugh, could of been so much better if they would have made it about 20 minutes longer and edited it better. Such a downer all around with it
I watched the 1st three episodes of Manhunt: Unabomber — Super cheesy, but I liked it more than I thought I was going to…
@Grey: I dont mind cheesy if I learn something. Its like reading good content that isnt entertaining
Yeah, but this was kinda like a trashy novel… You don’t really learn anything, but it’s entertaining enough and you can do other things while it’s on…
@Grey: background TV is the best, dont need to watch it all but hear enough to get the jist
Yup, and Paul Bettany who plays Unabomber is solid…
@Grey: oh its a docudrama?
Yeah, exactly
@Grey: those can be so awful. Id rather watch the UFO series on Netflix
You should try it, it’s pretty bad, but in a guilty pleasure type way
like Pauly Shore movies
Not this garbagey tho
@F-FOH: oh come on. You dont love Son in Law?
Never seen it, never seen anything with Pauly Shore except maybe MTV
Ive seen almost everything that was on VHS, good or bad, between 1995 and 2005. My best friend worked at a video store and we spent a lot of time watching TV herbally when not working
Haha, I’m more or less there with you, but The Weasel I missed… It’s often amazing to me how many crappy movies I used to watch, like anything from 87-97…
Im not sure if I had a love of really crappy sci-fi or that is what happened to be on TV when I happened to be watching it. Besides the endless loop of Beastmaster that played included Repo Man, Invader from Mars, and this gem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3L3qxkc9pk
Dam, I thought that link was gonna be to They Live! Or is that more horror?
Didn’t see They Live that much. Fuck when I Youtubed Trancers I didn’t realize what a cult classic it was, it even got a good bad flick video
How is Jack Deth not your name?
How you like me now!
Haha, perfect!
If Senzel ends up at 2B, who do you like between him, Albies and Happ?
Happ, assuming all have same PT
You catch the Jon Oliver finale last Sunday? Im still dying over a part of that
Whataboutism? Yeah, I watch it every week, best half hour of TV
@Grey: its so true! Remember I know more right wingers than lefties. The reading of the speech transcript still has me in tears
Yeah, I know right wingers too, not in a total bubble, but it was so dead-on… He talks gibberish half the time… I read once from Politco about how Trump’s really a self-help guru. If you really listen to him, everything is crazy positive. Of course, it comes off a little like delusion, like he isn’t seeing same things as everyone else, but it’s just positive thinking to the nth degree in the face of anything.
@Grey: good point. Totally agree. His family are high disciples of the power of positive thinking. Dude the guy that wrote that book married Trump and his first wife
Yeah, not surprising it’s same guy…
@Grey: sorry not done. His name was Norman Peale. Very weird dude. You take that self help crap and combine it with his other guru Roy Cohn who says you never admit anything and deny deny deny. I think something slept on is the Roger Ailes influence who kindly stated the AMERICAN people are lazy and want their thinking done for them. You do that through the use of talking points that you beat into them every single day over and over (Clinton Corruption ring a bell) and the propaganda driven Fox News that reminds you over and over that it’s fair and balance (it’s not and so aren’t the others to be fair) but if they keep telling you that it’s fair and balanced you start to believe it and then they can cram whatever they want down your ear and eyes. Trump uses all these tools in antime where we actually fight back against these elitist educated types and people promoting good health stuff. How dare they! It’s all nuts. All I see is people trying to point out our differences with each than our similarities. I say fuck em all. My vote don’t count for shit in California yet my states taxes pay for all their bullshit.
Yeah! That’s the guy… great point, combo of self help and Cohn and it’s a potent mix of delusional positive thinking and denying everything negative… yeah, people fighting against their own self interest to stick to their side is like some Keyser Soze greatest trick they ever pulled crap…
@Grey: the greatest trick ever played on mankind was kaiser Ailes tricking Anericans into believing they were smart
Haha, pretty much