A lot of recent rumors involving the New York Mets have revolved around pursuing more starting rotation depth. However, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made a different kind of move on January 4. New York agreed to sign outfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year deal, per SNY’s Andy Martino. It’s safe to say that first baseman Pete Alonso is very excited about the move.
This signing is a reunion for Alonso and Bader, who were teammates at the University of Florida. SNY’s Steve Gelbs shared more context on X (formerly Twitter) by saying, “Harrison Bader and Pete Alonso were college teammates. Bader is a year older than Alonso and was Pete’s host when he visited Florida prior to freshman year. Watching Alonso take BP for the first time, Bader turned to his coach and said: ‘That’s a big league swing right there.'”
Alonso didn’t waste any time publicly sharing his excitement about what’s happening. He posted two pictures of him and Bader in college on Instagram and said, “The diesel bros are back baby!!! Welcome back to the orange and blue!!!! #LFGM @aybaybader”
“The diesel bros” is an elite baseball nickname. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of handshakes/celebrations come along with it.
The Local Kid Comes Home (Again)
Bader signing with the Mets isn’t the first time he’ll be playing in New York as a big leaguer. He landed with the New York Yankees in a 2022 trade deadline deal that sent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals. He remained with the Bombers until September 2023. New York had placed him on waivers and the outfielder was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds.
A lot was made of Bader being a Yankee because he’s a local kid. He was born in Bronxville, New York and attended Horace Mann High School in the Bronx before heading to the University of Florida. He also grew up a Yankee fan and spent plenty of time at the old Yankee Stadium during his childhood, per Betelhem Ashame of MLB.com.
Although joining the Mets isn’t the same kind of homecoming, he at least gets to come back to the New York area.
Alonso & Bader Can Share Bats Much Easier Now
Bader’s time in pinstripes was dampened by multiple trips to the injured list. Despite getting acquired at the 2022 MLB trade deadline and sticking with the Yankees for an entire calendar year, he appeared in just 98 games for the Bombers.
However, the highlight of his Yankees tenure was the power binge he went on during the 2022 postseason. Heading into October, he had five homers in 86 regular-season games. Bader went on to match that number in just nine playoff contests. It was accompanied by six RBI, eight runs scored and a .333/.429/.833 triple slash.
Dave Lennon of Newsday published a story about Bader’s postseason performance on February 28, 2023, and discussed an X-factor: the kind of bat he used. As Bader recovered from plantar fasciitis, he picked up a bat that Alonso signed and had sent to his house. The outfielder liked the way it felt in his hands, so he ordered a bunch.
That order didn’t arrive until the final week of the 2022 regular season. According to Lennon, Bader didn’t take his first session of batting practice with the new lumber until right before Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians. He homered in his first at-bat that evening, and his vibes at the plate stayed immaculate for the remainder of October.
So, not only are “The Diesel Bros” getting back together, but they’ll be able to easily share bats now that they’ll be in the same dugout again.
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Pete Alonso Revives Old Nickname With Harrison Bader Set to Join Mets