Michael Harris II Dishes on How To Succeed Defensively in Center Field

When Michael Harris II was coming up in the Atlanta Braves minor league system, he was known as a proficient defensive center fielder. He was known mostly for his ability to cover the outfield and make uncommon plays look easy. You know the saying, "71 percent of the Earth is covered by water and the other 29 percent is covered by (insert name here)." You can plug Harris's name into that spot.

Recently, Harris went on MLB Tonight to discuss a multitude of topics. One of the questions he was asked was, "What is one of his secrets to being so good at making plays defensively in center field?" Thankfully, Harris is not a magician, so he was willing to tell his secret to MLB Tonight.

"I think the biggest thing about playing center field is just having instincts and having knowledge out there of the game and what situations you'll do certain things. Every play isn't the same, it's not gonna have the same outcome. You have to do certain things differently where it's really just knowing what you are going to do before the pitch comes and just trying not to have pressure because you already played it out in your mind." - Harris

Harris is entering his third season in the MLB in 2024. His last two seasons have concluded in him having some of the best production ever recorded from a No. 9 hitter in any lineup. The only area of improvement I can really see for Harris is his hitting in the postseason. Harris is already a special player. He is on the borderline of receiving MVP votes with Acuna. That one area can put him over the top.

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