The Atlanta Braves keep on producing the best homegrown talent in the MLB, and the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year awardee, Michael Harris II, is another testament to how elite the team’s player development staff is. Harris did not waste much time in cementing himself as a bonafide big leaguer, putting up 4.9 WAR in his debut season while following that up with a strong sophomore campaign, avoiding the slump second year players tend to encounter.
Now, only 23 years old, big things are in store for Harris as he has already accomplished plenty in his career despite his young age. In fact, Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who recently won Baseball America’s MLB Coach of the Year for his work last season, is excited to see the work Harris put in translate to even greater success during the games that count.
“He’s in a really good place right now. He’s seeing the ball well, timing has been good, staying on off-speed pitches really nice. He’s just having good at-bats. Everything looks like it’s in slow motion for him. It’s where you want hitters to be,” Seitzer said of Harris, per Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If the man working the closest to Michael Harris is dropping this lofty praise of where the Braves centerfielder is in terms of his swing mechanics and mindset when at the plate, then fans might be best served buying into the hype.
Braves’ Michael Harris 2024 MLB season outlook
For his first two big-league seasons, Michael Harris’ bat to ball skills and his ability to get solid contact has driven his production at the plate. He has put up a career .828 OPS, which is a testament to his said ability. But for the Braves centerfielder to take his game to the next level, he’ll have to learn how to draw more walks to help him maintain his value on the chance he gets into an extended slump.
Harris has drawn a grand total of 46 walks in 919 career at-bats; his value on the field and on the basepaths is already secure, and if he ever ups his on-base game, the Braves may have another MVP candidate in their midst.
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