Michael Harris II & Late-Season Surges: A Dynamic Braves Duo

The recent turnaround by Michael Harris II is nothing short of remarkable. The Atlanta Braves center fielder came out of the All-Star Break batting .400 with a 1.129 OPS in 15 games after batting .210 with a .551 OPS through the first 93 games of the campaign. 

Any calls to bench him or send him down to Triple-A have been silenced. It’s hard to call for it when he’s on a five-game hitting streak that includes four multi-hit games. Speaking of those, since the All-Star Break, he’s had eight multi-hit games. 

He made changes to his mechanics that just clicked in every way they possibly could have. Walks could still be improved upon, but when he’s hitting the ball as well as he has, most will look the other way. 

While this recent run has been stellar, it actually could have been predicted. The truth is that he has a knack for turning on the jets in the final months of the season, regardless of how his season has gone. 

Here’s a breakdown of Harris’ slash lines before and after the All-Star Break during his first three seasons in the league:

• 2022 Before Break: .283/.319/.497
• 2022 After Break: .307/.353/.527

• 2023 Before Break: .255/.301/.455
• 2023 After Break: .325/.356/.522

• 2024 Before Break: .250/.295/.358
• 2024 After Break: .283/.318/.506

The starkest difference between the splits has come this season, but the difference each year is hard to argue.

So what is the reason behind all these turnarounds? I think for last season specifically, a lot of it was him getting healthy and having the chance to perform well down the stretch. He had a slow start and then missed two months due to a grade 2 hamstring injury. 

Outside of that one instance, it’s a testament to his ability to work things out and make the adjustments necessary to succeed. No ballplayer makes it through this game without the ability to do that. 

“That’s what this game is all about,” Snitker said back in July. “To be successful in this thing, it never stops. It never stops, making adjustments, and I’ve watched the Hall of Famers we had, and they were doing it up to their last at bat.” 

Figuring out how to translate it to earlier in the season is easier said than done. Pitchers watch film on you to figure you out, and you then have to work on responding to that so you can succeed again too. 

How poorly this season started is unlikely to be seen again. If these adjustments work, they will translate to some level of greater effectiveness next season, even as further adjustments are made. Even if he always performs better late in the season, that's not necessarily a bad thing either. That's when a team needs that production most.

His knack for a late-season turnaround also means he has knack for being timely for his ballclub.

More From Atlanta Braves on SI