7 pleasant surprises for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021

ST LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 12: Members of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 at Busch Stadium on September 12, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 12: Members of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 at Busch Stadium on September 12, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 8
Next
ST LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 18: Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals slides head first in to Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium on September 18, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 18: Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals slides head first in to Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium on September 18, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images) /

Harrison Bader

Harrison Bader has become one of the most entertaining players to watch this season for the Cardinals. Whether it is smacking a hit or a long home run, stealing a base or two or making a catch that will win him a Gold Glove this season, he’s been so good for the club.

In 87 games played for the Cardinals, he is hitting .247/.309/.413 with a 93 OPS+. He has 12 home runs, 15 doubles and a triple this season along with six stolen base. He has a 28.9 hard hit rate with his max exit velocity this season at 111.5 mph.

It’s wonderful how much better he is hitting and running the base path this season. It’s even better when you combine that with his smooth defensive gems in center field. He’s made so many spectacular plays it’s unbelievable. One of his goals each season is to get a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess. I think he finally gets that first of many Gold Gloves this season.