Last year Willie Harris posted a .653 OPS (a drop of 104 points from a year ago) and it looked like his career was in jeopardy. He hooked on with the Mets and got off to a hot start in 2011. But by the third week of May, Harris was back to his 2010 ways, as he had a .203/.308/.304 line and a demotion/release seemed imminent.
But the Mets ran into some injuries – or is that the other way around? – and Harris got time to prove he still belonged. In his last 31 games, which includes nine starts, Harris has been on fire. He has a .358/.460/.434 line. What’s even more amazing is that Harris has struck out 14 times in 53 at-bats during that stretch. That means when he puts the ball in play, he has a .487 BABIP.
Obviously, no one can maintain a .487 BABIP over an extended period and it would be silly to assume that this was his true talent level. On the flip side, Harris had a .199 BABIP in 2010, which goes a long way towards explaining his dismal .653 OPS. That wasn’t indicative ...
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