Michael Harris II was one of the worst hitters in MLB for this season’s first four months. He’s been one of MLB’s best hitters since then. The Braves aren’t going to the postseason, but there’s renewed hope that Harris still can be their center fielder for a decade like they’ve planned.
Before the All-Star break, Harris had the worst on-base plus slugging percentage among MLB regulars (.551). Since the break, Harris had the fifth-best OPS among qualified players (1.113) through Wednesday’s games. Harris said the turnaround started when he essentially rebuilt his swing to what it was before he got to the majors.
Back then, Harris held his hands higher in his batting stance while waiting for pitches. The hands were lower when he made it to MLB. He had success with that, until he didn’t.
Harris said a conversation with his agent persuaded him to look back at video of his pre-MLB at-bats during a team flight to Sacramento in July.
“I remembered what I was feeling back then,” Harris said after the Braves beat the White Sox on Wednesday night. “I wasn’t really thinking much.”
Harris didn’t get immediate results with the change. He was 0-for-8 in two games against the Athletics. The Braves went from Sacramento to St. Louis for a final series before the All-Star break. That’s when the change in his batting stance started to bear fruit for Harris.
He was 4-for-11 against the Cardinals with two doubles. It was the first time he produced more than one extra-base hit during a series since April 28-30 in Colorado.
“I kind of felt the immediate switch (with) how I was seeing the ball and able to get to get to certain pitches that I wasn’t able to get to earlier in the season,” Harris said. “It was a positive going into the break. I just continued to work on it and kind of honed in on what I wanted to accomplish.”
The results are fantastic. Among MLB regulars, only A’s rookie sensation Nick Kurtz has a better batting average than Harris since the break. Only Kurtz and teammate Shea Langeliers have a better slugging percentage during that span. The players with a better OPS than Harris since the All-Star break include Kurtz, Langeliers, and superstars Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
There’s room for Harris to improve his approach. He’s still swinging at a high percentage of pitches outside of the strike zone. In fact, his chase rate now (42.6) is higher than it was at the end of June. The difference now is that Harris is making much better contact on the pitches he puts in play.
His average launch angle on balls in play is up from 5.6 degrees at the end of June to 6.9 degrees now. Harris has increased his hard-hit rate from 40.2% to 42.9% and his barrel rate (hard-hit balls at optimum angles) from 6.1% to 8.2%. For the past month, Harris has hit the ball like he did during his first two MLB seasons.
The Braves drafted Harris in the third round out of Stockbridge High in 2019. They called him up from Double-A Mississippi in 2022. He was an immediate hit and was chosen the NL rookie of the year. Harris wasn’t as good in 2023 but still ranked third in WAR among MLB center fielders, thanks to superb defense paired with above-average offense.
Harris regressed in 2024. He was even worse this season before the turnaround.
“It was mostly frustrating because I know what type of player I can be, and I wasn’t being that,” Harris said. “I was trying everything possible. Changing minor things, and that would work for maybe a couple days, and then everything else would just go back. I’m just glad I was able to find something that stuck, and I’m comfortable with it.
“Now, I’m getting results and then helping the team win.”
It’s the kind of production the Braves projected for Harris after signing him to an eight-year, $72 million contract extension (with two club option years). It was a risk-reward decision for Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to offer Harris a long-term deal before the end of his rookie season.
If Harris continued his trajectory, then he would be a bargain as a great-glove, good-bat center fielder. If Harris couldn’t fulfill his potential, then the Braves would be paying him too much. The gamble looked as if it would pay off when Harris became a good everyday center fielder.
Even though his second and third seasons weren’t as good as his first, Harris was producing at a level well above his salary. His performance compared favorably with two other young center fielders who signed contract extensions, Julio Rodríguez and Jackson Merrill.
The Mariners signed Rodríguez for a base salary of seven years and $105 million ($15 million average) near the end of his rookie year in 2022. The Padres signed Merrill for nine years and $135 million in April ($15 million average) after a rookie year that wasn’t quite as good as Harris’. The Braves employ Harris for about half the salary of Rodríguez and Merrill.
For two-plus seasons, Harris’ production was better than Merrill’s, and his WAR were about two-thirds of Rodríguez’s. The start of this season raised questions about whether Harris could be the long-term center fielder. Manager Brian Snitker kept putting him in the lineup every day, and Harris couldn’t hit.
There was nowhere for Harris to hide with so many other lineup regulars also scuffling at the plate for a losing team.
“It would have been easier for me if we were winning and I was just kind of in the shadows, working on what I needed to work on, and then finding it at some point,” Harris said. “Having that type of season, it was kind of tough.”
Harris isn’t having that type of season anymore. He’s playing like he did when he lived up to his “Money Mike” nickname. If Harris keeps it up, then center field will be one less thing for the Braves to worry about for next winter and beyond.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
