Why Harrison Bader is bringing so much more than just good defense to SF Giants

When the SF Giants signed outfielder Harrison Bader, it was obvious that the team's outfield defense was getting a big boost. The team's outfield defense was one of the worst in baseball last season so it was an obvious area to address.

Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos graded out as two of the worst defensive outfielders in center field and left field respectively. By putting Bader in center field and moving Lee to right, that should raise San Francisco's outfield defense greatly.

However, Bader is going to bring so much more to the table than just speed and a good glove.

SF Giants are getting more than just a good defender in Harrison Bader

The Philadelphia Phillies greatly benefited from the energy that Bader brought to the table last season after they traded for him. Teammates were effusive in their praise for him and spoke about how his energy was infectious and helped the Phillies as they tried to make a postseason run.

The last time the Giants added an outfielder known for his energy and his impact on his teammates who last played for the Phillies, it was Hunter Pence and that acquisition worked out pretty well.

Bader is not known for his offense but he is coming off a career-best year at the plate. If he could just be around his career-average at the plate, which would roughly be a slash line of .250/.315/.400, and hit something like 15 home runs while providing his usual defense that would be a great deal especially since they already got him for something of a bargain.

The Giants have him for two seasons and in that time he could prove to be a perfect mentor for Drew Gilbert. The young spark plug showed us all last season that he is almost like a mini-Bader. Gilbert is a really solid defender who has to improve at the plate and he obviously brings his own unique brand of energy to the ballpark every day.

Bader seems like a perfect culture fit for what new manager Tony Vitello is trying to build in San Francisco. Vitello is known for the confidence and energy he infused into the University of Tennessee program so Bader should meld with that ideally.

Obviously, what Bader does on the field will be most important when evaluating the signing, but what he brings off the field in terms of energy and helping Ramos and Lee improve defensively while also helping the young Gilbert find his way could be very important as well.