Similarities between Harrison Bader and Jeff Kent are few. Sure, Bader plays for the San Francisco Giants and Kent used to do so. Otherwise, little of note links the great-fielding, average-hitting Bader to the formerly average-fielding, exceptional-hitting Kent.Until, that is, the predawn hours Sunday when Bader’s scooter collided with the back of a fire engine. A wheel rolled over his left foot, causing a serious injury that required medical assistance, a witness told SFist. Other witnesses described Bader as bar-hopping throughout the evening, according to Matt Lively of KPIX.Bader has not fully cooperated with the Giants about the incident, a person briefed on the matter told Andrew Baggerly of the Athletic, who speculated that Bader might be concerned that the team could seek to void the remainder of his contract for taking part in “high-risk activities” that the collective bargaining agreement forbids without the Giants’ written consent.Cue to Kent, who while Bader was being treated at a Bay Area hospital Sunday was enjoying his induction ceremony into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He was honored for hitting more home runs than any other second baseman in MLB history and driving in more than 100 runs eight times.Conveniently forgotten was the time Kent broke a bone in his left wrist during spring training in 2002 and lied about how it occurred, saying he fell while washing his truck when eyewitnesses and a 911 call established that he actually he fell off a motorcycle while “popping wheelies,” according to then-Giants general manager Brian Sabean.Why did he tell a tall tale? Most likely to protect his $6 million contract that prohibited high-risk activities such as motorcycle riding. Admitting the truth would have allowed the Giants to fine him or void his deal.The Giants left well enough alone because Kent was an essential cog in their lineup, the story died down and he missed only the first four regular-season games. The Giants advanced to the World Series — where they lost to the Angels — and Kent hit a career-high 37 home runs. Bader, who is in the first year of of a two-year, $20.5 million contract, finds himself in a far more precarious position than Kent. He has played only 30 games all season primarily because of an earlier injury to the same foot and is batting .170. The Giants might see an opportunity to get out from under the second year of his deal by invoking the “high-risk activities” language from the CBA.Bader followed through with a previously scheduled foot and ankle specialist in Indianapolis on Monday. According to a team injury report, “the impact of that (collision-related) injury changed the nature of his evaluation.” The team also said he would undergo an MRI exam to “better understand the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter accident.”As of Friday morning, MRI results have not been released and Bader has declined to speak publicly. Manager Tony Vitello said Thursday that Bader is not expected to return this season, and that a return was unlikely before the collision. A week ago, however, Vitello said Bader had a chance to return in September. Bader, a 32-year-old 10-year veteran, would be hard-pressed to explain the incident as youthful indiscretion the way he might have in 2014 when he was involved in a motorized scooter accident as a University of Florida sophomore. An incident report from the Gainesville Police Department said Bader hit a curb and ran into a truck. He was unresponsive on the ground, smelled of alcohol and was suspended from the baseball team for 19 games.The latest incident follows several embarrassing episodes this season with the Giants, who through Thursday are 47-62 and 22 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West.All-Star pitcher Logan Webb deleted his X account three weeks ago after a heated exchange with a KNBR digital producer, slugger Rafael Devers seemingly defied Vitello by waving off a pinch-runner and three outfielders engaged in a provocative hip-thrust celebration. Perhaps most damaging was the fallout from four Giants pitchers pushing back against the team’s annual Pride Night in June, with three writing Bible verses next to the rainbow-tinted logo on their caps and the fourth declining to wear the colorful cap at all. MLB said the pitchers were in violation of uniform protocols, triggering a culture skirmish between one of the nation’s most vibrantly diverse and queer cities and politicians who asserted that the actions were an expression of religious freedom.
