Bader among Double-A talent Cards really like

ST. LOUIS — Double-A outfielder Harrison Bader had his 17-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday, but the organization’s 10th-ranked prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, has grabbed the attention of general manager John Mozeliak, among others, with his terrific season start.

Bader, the Cardinals’ third-round pick in the 2015 Draft, hit .419 with 12 extra-base hits and a 1.173 OPS during his hitting streak, which fell one game short of the Springfield franchise record. On the season, Bader has a slash line of .359/.410/.570 and a .981 OPS over 35 games.

“He’s an interesting player in the sense that he oozes confidence,” Mozeliak said of the University of Florida product. “[He’s] understanding what he’s trying to do. He’s obviously having a lot of success at the plate. He’s doing really well defensively. I think we’ll be forced to have to make a tough decision here in the second half of the season with what to do.”

That decision would be related to a promotion, which, though it may be warranted, is a more complex move than meets the eye. Mozeliak compared the group of players in Springfield to the core — cleverly dubbed, then, as the “Memphis Mafia” — that rose through the …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com