Q. How important was it in LA to get those at-bats against Shohei Ohtani?
HARRISON BADER: Yeah, you know I think towards the end of the season there and everything, you just kind of have your mind on the playoffs. Obviously you're staying present. But you're just trying to get as many looks as possible because you know it's possible you'll see these guys again.
Down to seeing Ohtani, seeing their pitching staff, understanding how the ball skips in center field when it gets a little wet out there towards the end of the nights, the routes, all the little things that are going to become big things, I think, when we're playing on all sides of the ball eventually in LA.
I think you're gathering information. And, of course, taking those games seriously because you're playing for something there. But the back of your head, as competitors, you're always planning for the next opportunity.
I think getting a look from him is good, but at the end of the day he might do something different. Can't put too much stock in what's already happened. You can only take notes and have multiple plans for what you think you might see. I'm excited to go out there and just attack their team with my teammates.
Q. Whenever you've been brought on to a new team, your energy and your ability to assimilate into a new clubhouse has always stood out. What's your experience been like coming over to the Phils in the midst of a postseason run?
HARRISON BADER: Appreciate that. I think my contract status has kind of allowed some flexibility in there, which is great. I think every team I've signed with has had every intention of going to the postseason. But I think this year was the first time that the plan didn't work out with the Twins, which is okay. It's all just part of the game.
I'm just thankful that with that flexibility, the Phillies took advantage of giving me an opportunity to come here and help them win. And from my perspective, I think taking advantage of that opportunity was my only focus.
And I've been asked that question a number of times, and I think the answer really is simply, in between the white lines, at this level, winning baseball is a universal language. We all have different backgrounds and different routes maybe to that locker room. But when it comes down to getting with a group of guys and working towards one ultimate goal, I think regardless of those backgrounds or that journey, it's a universal language. And it's one I certainly know how to speak.
My dad, my parents ever coach I've had along the way, I've been very fortunate to help me along in making that language, if you will, more natural to me, and I've only gotten better at speaking it, I guess.
With that said, I think it's just a great opportunity, one that I plan to take full advantage of. It was a great two months, but as far as I'm concerned the season kind of resets and we get to go back to the version and brand of baseball we played as a kid, which is just trying to win a World Series.
For me, it was being a New Yorker I had the teams and players I looked up to. Many times they were hoisting trophies that's why I started playing.
Regardless of the uniform, I'm certainly happy it's in Philadelphia with this organization. But this is a dream that a lot of us have had for a long time time. I'm just excited to dive into it.
Q. I know you're keenly focused on staying in the moment with the task at hand, but how has your previous success in the postseason helped prepare you for this moment?
HARRISON BADER: You can't really play hero ball. I think keeping it super simple, trying to take your single, having a good at-bat, passing the baton, all these little things will ultimately create a favorable result.
You'll have hero moments. Guys will have hero moments but you're not thinking that going into the at-bat. It's really why the process is so important. And it's kind of why players talk about the process so intensely. Because when the noise increases and the pressure of the situation kind of increases, the process in finding that result is what's really kind of what's important.
Yeah, I just think that it's just a group of guys that kind of know how to do that, and we've been practicing that and preaching that all year. Now it's just a matter of execution. I think if you pair some preparation living in the moment and enjoying it, I think you'll find yourself on the favorable end of those results.
Q. In terms of your ability to hit righties, last couple of years that's gone up. Obviously it's something you did real well in your career. This year especially there's actually a reverse platoon split going on where you're hitting for power and average against fastballs, off-speed, doesn't match matter. What's (indiscernible) have been the adjustments you've taken against right-handed pitchers?
HARRISON BADER: Nice. I like this question. I was certainly aware of the statements that were made by various organizations. And I don't take those any way other than simply finding a way to get better. There's a reason why they think that. The numbers certainly prove that. So, we have to get better. There's no emotion about it. It is what it is.
Sustaining an injury at the end of 2023 was challenging, and working my way back really all of last year where I didn't really recognize myself as an athlete. My twitch on my backside, where my adductor was located, was slightly off and it really was just a matter of time.
But when that time kind of ran its course, I had the ability to take a step back and really just invest in myself and invest in who I really wanted to be. And that was a player that didn't want to go back to who I was. I wanted to be someone new. I wanted to understand my body in a different way.
Wherever I was, from an athletic standpoint, a physical standpoint, was one I wanted to grow on and build on. And I invested in myself in finding a really good biomechanicist down in Tampa. We do all our reports together. We study. We got in front of cameras day in and day out to make sure that whatever I thought was going on was going on. If it wasn't there, then I needed to fix it.
From an athletic standpoint, you just apply it to a baseball swing. I've been an athlete my entire life. Being in tune with my body is something that I've always just been sensitive to. I think once I kind of understood where I was at from a physical standpoint, we attacked righties and lefties, we attack everything.
Specifically against righties, to answer your question, I'm aware of how I get pitched. You have different plans. So you just attack different parts of the zone, and you just rinse and repeat, honestly.
And the offseason gives us time to gather that information, as opposed to judgment, and use it to our benefit.
Listen, it's an ongoing thing. It's never going to end. This game is always about evolving and growing and going out with whatever you've got and making it successful. In many ways I kind of hit that reset after that surgery, but I'm happy I did and just continue down the path.
Q. On the defensive side of the ball, and maybe this is part of it, your defensive metric numbers in center field are excellent this year. I'm wondering how much do you think about the adjustment here in Philly. The ability to play center field and play it regularly helped play a part, whether that's also as you guys face the question of mutual option, about what you want to do, how much playing in center field you think was central to what you were able to do here down the stretch?
HARRISON BADER: Anything with the contract or mutual option or whatnot, I'll reserve that for when the season's over.
But I knew what I was getting myself into in Minnesota in playing left field. Byron Buxton was one of my favorite players growing up in this league, playing in this league. I knew I would play alongside him. I knew he was going to be healthy. So I was excited to dive back into left field.
I think it gave me a real good opportunity to show, not only myself, but teams that I can play both positions, which I think is valuable.
Last time I played left field for an extended period of time was at University of Florida. Like I mentioned, that gave me a better understanding of how the ball comes off the bat. Left field's tough, especially with righties, when they snap hook the ball. Lefty, fly balls, they come back.
There's just a lot of -- there's nuances to it. And diving back into that energy and attacking it, obviously at the bigger level that was fun. There's a slight adjustment. But I loved every second of it. I really did. I feel really comfortable in both positions.
Listen, I just want at-bats. I want as many at-bats as possible. I want to help a team win. I want to get on base as much as possible, score as much as possible. If that comes down to playing left field, so be it. But also get an opportunity in Philly to prove I can obviously still play center field. I think it's just great.
I want it more than anything. I want it at all times. If I have to play left or center, I can do it. I just have fun with it and go out there and be the best contributing asset to a team as possible.
Q. You played against Kyle Schwarber in college and saw him a lot in the NL Central earlier in your career. What did you think of him back then, and what do you think of his evolution as a hitter overall?
HARRISON BADER: At the University of Florida, when he was in Indiana, he hit. I remember him parking I don't know how many balls it was over our scoreboard in right field. But looked like he just flicked it out. He's extremely strong. Really good base of a hitter. Knew where his barrel was at. He just did an incredible job.
His bat-to-ball ability has always, as far as I've seen since college, has always been incredible. And, listen, I think consistency is one of the toughest things that we search for in this game, especially at this level. And at every level I've never not seen him hit. I think anyone sitting in this chair would say the same exact thing.
Now that I'm on his team I'm certainly happy that I don't have to watch the balls fly out of the park anymore.
Listen, he's had an incredible year. Every place he's gone, I've been on a number of teams, but so has he. He's been a contributing factor in every single one of those teams in the postseason, all season, but also more especially in the postseason, which I just respect tremendously.
So I think a lot of us can gain and try to model our game after his at the plate. What that comes down to is just his poise, his relaxation. He doesn't get too high. He doesn't get too low. He knows he has another swing coming and it might be the biggest one of the night.
I'm a huge Kyle Schwarber fan, and every time I've seen him at he's never not hit. It's amazing. I have tremendous respect for him.
Q. Everyone knows crop-tops are your thing, but some of your teammates started wearing them. Did you nudge them toward that or did they just kind of pick it up?
HARRISON BADER: I would never nudge another grown man to wear a crop-top like this. (Laughter). But they did it on their own which shows you that we're really kind of bonded here. I think the crop-tops, it's just fun. It is what it is. I don't read too much into it. Just makes the hot summer days a little lighter, shave off some fabric is always good.
Obviously when the teammates started doing it, I thought it was fun. It's all in good fun. It's just, in a weird way, it just shows a level of togetherness that is, you ride some energy for a couple of weeks and we move onto the next thing as a team. I was happy to see some guys rocking crop-tops out there for sure.
Q. Along those same lines, did you feel a comfortability right away with this clubhouse being as that it's so tight knit? These guys have been together basically forever. Did it feel seamless when you came here?
HARRISON BADER: Yeah, it did. But at the same time, there really wasn't anytime to think about anything other than how am I going to help this team win today.
I think maybe when the game was over I kind of thought to myself at times, do I fit in here, this and that. But I think that was quickly -- those thoughts quickly went away once I realized a couple days in the clubhouse and just seeing how guys interacted, that there were no cliques, there's no cliques.
It's just about coming here, doing your job and executing. If you don't, you come back tomorrow and do the same thing. But you keep the energy high. You remain positive for your teammates. I learned that very quickly.
I think the transition was extremely seamless. But, listen, at the end of the day it's a lot easier to get along with your teammates when you prove to them and show them and you gain their respect by playing winning baseball, preparing like a winning player, talking in the dugout to help the team win, and just overall just being someone who turns yourself over to that win every day, doing what you can to help the team win.
And I think I was easily and better received, if you will, once I kind of proved that that was what I was all about, which is always what I'm all about, because this is what I do. This is what we do. This is all we care about every single day. Locker rooms I think that do that the best, go the farthest.
Q. At this time a year ago you were down on the other side of the clubhouse, on the other side of the atmosphere. You've been received by the fans in a couple of months. What's that meant to you? I know you were signing autographs after the intrasquad game the other night. How excited are you to be on this side of the postseason atmosphere tonight?
HARRISON BADER: Happy you asked that question. The fans are what keep us all going. Especially here, the fans play a large role in what makes this place so special. I learned that very quickly. The first or second thing that was said to me after I kind of got in the clubhouse was wait until you see the fans out there. And then we get in the postseason, wait until you see them then.
Obviously at that point we had a long way to go, but that was certainly on the radar. And then we talked about the fans here, the fans here.
Every place I've gone, they've had tremendously passionate fans. St. Louis was amazing. Got a chance to play for the New York Yankees. Obviously that was great. New York Mets, the fans, in their own right, are also very passionate, very, very special, I think. And now I get to play with the Phillies.
And nothing's changed. And I'm just extremely grateful to go out there and compete and live out my passion in front of fans that really, in a different way, share the same level of passion that I do.
The thing that baseball players at this level and fans also share in common is their desire to win. Whatever really it takes, doesn't really matter what or how you do it, but just the passion and the consistency among all the fans and just simply wanting to win.
That's what drives it here, right? It's about that winning culture and everything. I think the fans reflect that tremendously.
So obviously we tipped our hats and everything. And I did it (indiscernible) after that practice, but it's good to engage with the kids and the young fans. And that's really what it's all about. I've been in that position before. I've really emulated those major league players I looked up to at a young age.
Always hand it back and you do it for the fans. You try to deliver the best you can. I'm excited to go out there and experience it on this side. And I'm certainly looking forward to the energy.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports