Delivering four hits as the leadoff hitter wasn’t enough as Harrison Bader and the North Division fell to the South Division in the Texas League All-Star Game 8-5 on Tuesday night.
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Named the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month in April, Bader has maintained a .300 average into the All-Star break while hitting 13 home runs and driving in 32 runs.
“It’s more important to look past those,” said Bader recently of his numbers. “Obviously, I started off pretty well but there’s definitely been some bumps along the way without a doubt. It’s all been a learning experience and I’m just doing my best to play to the best of my ability.”
One of those bumps that Bader references is just the adjustment to the better command and ability from opposing pitchers.
“Just throwing a certain pitch for effect–throwing a ball for effect or a ball just off the plate to make you chase and get out of your plan as a hitter,” he explained. “I think the biggest thing in the transition has been being able to recognize the situation in front of you and just understand what the pitcher is trying to do to you. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of handling that well and I’ve definitely done my fair share of at-bats where I haven’t handled that well. It’s all just taken in stride. It’s been a great experience–I have tremendous teammates and I’m learning a lot from them as I go so just going to keep rolling.”
Bader’s fellow Springfield Cardinals Luke Voit went 2-5, Carson Kelly 1-2, Bruce Caldwell 1-2, and Paul DeJong 0-3 in the game. Voit won the pregame HR Derby, launching 30 home runs over two rounds of play. Right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon yielded four runs on five hits in two innings pitched.
photo credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
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