Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II got off to a rough start to his second season in the MLB. Through the first three months of the season, he was 19-for-109 (.174 batting average) at the plate with four doubles, two homers, and eight RBI. It was not the start to the season that he nor anyone in Braves country was expecting from him after his great Rookie campaign.
Harris II appeared on MLB Tonight recently to discuss a few topics about his second season in the MLB. One of the questions he was asked was, "What was the moment, or the stretch of games where you felt like you turned the corner?"
"I think it was like the first week in June, maybe, or July. It's either June or July, they both have J's so I get confused. I had a talk with Marcell Ozuna. He saw me a little down on myself and this was actually during a game he told me my next at-bat is when my season started. I actually went up and hit a hard line drive and got out. He told me that was a good improvement and that my season started there. Ever since then I kinda took off and got back to who I was." - Harris
This is a reason why I believe it is so important to have veteran leadership in the clubhouse. Guys like Marcell Ozuna who have playing in the MLB for a long time know how it feels to be in the position Harris was in. He has gone through slumps of his own during his career. Look at Ozuna's start to 2023, for the first two months of the season, he had a batting average of .091. People were calling for him to be cut from the team due to how bad he was playing.
He dug his way out of a slump in May when he hit .297 with nine homers and 20 RBI. So, he was on the brighter side of the slump situation. His insight proved to be a game-changer for Harris. In June, Harris finished with a .372 batting average with six doubles, five homers, and 14 RBI. He was getting a hit in every three at-bats.
Harris was on a tear for the rest of the season from the plate and that production is partly due to having veteran leadership in the dugout. Thanks, Marcell Ozuna!
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