MLBbro Michael Harris II made plenty of noise this year by being one of the most exciting players the Mississippi Braves had to offer during the beginning parts of the season.

Rated the Atlanta Braves #1 prospect the 21 year-old was showing lots of promise at a very fast pace. His stellar play, and other factors such as injury, and the constant pressure placed on the Braves to maintain ground in the National League East, led to his arrival in the big leagues coming sooner rather than later. His transition has not been perfect, but the signs are promising.


Through 43 games in the minor leagues this season Michael Harris was a clubhouse leader and a major contributor on the Braves Double-A squad. Batting .305 with 33 RBI, Harris was a clear level beyond the rest of the players at that level and made sure to remind fans on a daily basis.

His exciting style of play, and durability pushed the organization to consider pushing him past the Triple-A level and straight to the show.

Add in the highlight reel worthy defense that Harris showed, his call up was imminent. With Braves’ manager Brian Snitker focused on winning games, he finally made the decision to call up Harris on May 28, 2022.

Injuries to the Atlanta Braves are a big reason as to why the call up of Michael Harris II was expedited. Left fielder Eddie Rosario has been on the IL since April, and star player Ronald Acuna Jr. is healthy but still working his way back to being an everyday outfielder while recovering from ACL surgery last year. The addition of Harris, who is able to play all three outfield spots, helps the team’s overall defensive positioning by allowing Adan Duvall and Marcell Ozuna, to play to their strengths at the corner outfield spots while he roams center field. The driving force behind the call-up was to bolster the outfield defense.

The Braves organization was sure that his defense would be more than capable of being at a Major League level and justify giving him the starting job. With his defense accounted for, he would have time to adjust to big league pitching without the threat of demotion lingering over him. With fewer than 200 games at the Minor League level, the Braves expected a huge learning curve. Harris has recently began to settle in at the plate and become more comfortable in the batter’s box.  What is most promising is that he is excelling against left-handed pitchers, batting over .300 against them in his short tenure.

 

 

An Atlanta native, Harris draws inspiration from fellow MLBbro Jayson Heyward who he recalls growing up watching. Heyward was a fixture in the outfield for the Braves for many years, and Harris II seems to be following a similar path. With great speed and defense, there is belief that if his batting continues to trend in a positive direction, Harris may be able to stick around in the Majors and propel the Braves back into the playoff race.

The team has been winning considerably more games since his call up, going 8-3 in their first 11 games with him in the lineup. The Braves are red hot, and if the upstart MLBbro Harris can keep up his contributions, Atlanta may be able to recreate their magic from their championship season a year ago.