#HIGHFIVE (Week 25):  Michael Harris II Batting .486 With Five Bro Bombs In His Last Seven Games

#HIGHFIVE (Week 25): Michael Harris II Batting .486 With Five Bro Bombs In His Last Seven Games

Michael Harris is playing his best baseball of the year when his Braves need him most. The 2022 National League Rookie of The Year homered five times in his last seven games and is hitting .486 over that span to earn himself the top spot on our final #HighFive list of the season.

 

1. “Money” Michael Harris

 

With Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies among others shelved with injuries while Atlanta chases the final National League Wild Card spot, Harris has turned his game up another level.

He has multiple hits in six of his last seven games including three three-hit contests, one coming last Thursday in a two-homer game against the Reds to help eliminate them from contention.

Money Michael Harris II Hasn’t Struck Out Since June 23 | Atlanta Braves Are 9-1 Last 10 Games

 

On Tuesday, Harris showed the world why he is one of the top five-tool players in the Majors.

He finished a triple shy of the cycle, hit his eighth home run in the month of September, matching his total from the rest of the season and made a diving catch earlier that game to preserve a 4-0 lead.

The Braves will face the Royals over the weekend before their Monday double header against the Mets that could decide the final playoff spot.

 

2. Aaron Judge

 

Aaron Judge, who sat atop the #HighFive for most of 2024 takes the second spot on our Week 25 list after hitting a home run in four consecutive games.

Judge’s 2024 was one of the best offensive seasons in Major League history.

In addition to leading baseball in most all hitting categories, his 10.6 Offensive WAR is top 20 in the history of baseball and is the highest mark since Judge’s 10.3 in 2022.  Before that, you have to go to Barry Bonds 2001 MVP year where he finished with a 12.4 WAR, the highest ever recorded.

In his last seven games Judge slashed .364/.533/.955 with four homers, eight RBI, eight walks and a stolen base.

 

3. Byron Buxton

 

“As long as we win that is all that matters,” Byron Buxton told reporters after a big win Wednesday night to put his Twins two games out of the last Wild Card spot.

 

 

Buxton, who has hits in five consecutive games hit a 450-ft game-tying blast to tie Wednesday’s contest against the Marlins.

This was the first season Buxton played 100 games in since playing 140 in 2017. Although he still missed more time than he wanted to, this was a step in the right direction.

 

4. Giancarlo Stanton

 

 

Giancarlo Stanton is finishing his regular season strong as he looks to play a major factor this postseason.

 

He is hitting .333 with a homer and four RBI over his last five games as the Yankees look to clinch the top seed in the American League.

Wednesday night marked the 13th time this season Stanton and Judge have homered in the same game which only trails the duo of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle who did it 14 times in 1961.

 

5. Lawrence Butler “Law Dawg”

 

Lawrence Butler is the final member of the Oakland Athletics to make earn a spot on our #HighFive list.

 

 

“We hear them, we care about them and this means a lot to them,” Butler told reporters when discussing the team’s decision to wear their kelly green jerseys with “Oakland” across their every game during the final homestand at the Coliseum. 

 

Butler surged this season after spending a few weeks in Triple A and I believe he will be on the All-Star team next year in his hometown of Atlanta.

 

He hit .364 with a stolen base during the last series against the Rangers and on the season has hit 22 home runs, 20 of them coming since June 30th.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing | Michael Harris II started Friday’s scoring in the first inning and wrapped it up in the 10th

Grand Opening, Grand Closing | Michael Harris II started Friday’s scoring in the first inning and wrapped it up in the 10th

Michael Harris II and the Atlanta Braves walked out of Truist Field with a 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. They also pulled a game closer to the Phillies in the NL East race thanks to some Harris heroics.

Michael Harris came into the game with 43 career home runs but none of them led off a game. Hello 44. Harris’s Friday night 410-foot shot off of Washington Nationals starter, MacKenzie Gore, came out of the lead off spot in the first inning. You might think Harris was setting the tone for the game, but Gore went on to pitch six innings with four strikeouts and no walks with Harris’s homer being the only run he allowed.

With not much happening after Harris’s homer, we can fast forward to the 10th inning where the Braves and Nationals are tied at 2. In the top of the inning Bro, CJ Abrams, pinch hit for Nasim Nunez, who had gotten the start at Abrams’s usual spot: shortstop. CJ popped out which is inconsequential except that it put him in the field for the bottom of the 10th after sitting in the dugout for nearly three hours.

Deep in the grass for the first batter, CJ made the play on a ground ball as the ghost runner moved to third. After a line out, there was a man on third with two outs and Michael Harris II coming to bat. As expected, he hit it to CJ Abrams who picked it up cleanly and then threw it wide and low to first as he was compensating for Harris’s speed. Safe at first. Run scored. Braves win.

Michael Harris II Is The Five-Tool Diamond-Igniter For Lethal Atlanta Braves Squad

“I gotta make a better throw in that situation,” Abrams said after the game. “Maybe take a little more time. I think I had more time than I thought.”

There was no RBI on the play for Harris, but maybe he should get one. His speed is what caused Abrams to flub the throw. “In that situation, with two outs, you try to put the ball in play and see what happens,” Harris said.

What happened is they won the game.

Michael Harris II Is The Five-Tool Diamond-Igniter For Lethal Atlanta Braves Squad

Michael Harris II Is The Five-Tool Diamond-Igniter For Lethal Atlanta Braves Squad

The Atlanta Braves are the hottest team in Major League Baseball right now.

 

Winning nine out of their last 10 games, the team has looked sharp early and emerged as a top threat in the entire league.

While Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson have gotten off to slower starts than expected, MLBbro Michael Harris II has continued to improve his play.

In just his third season Harris is emerging as the catalyst and most important player in the Braves’ lineup. Starting in every game this season, he has helped lead the team to a 17-7 record.

 

Game Recognize Game: The Future Is Bright For Black Baseball

 

MLBbro Michael Harris II is at the top of the team in numerous hitting categories. Harris II is in the top three for hits, triples, home runs, total bases, stolen bases, batting average, slugging percentage and WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

He has become the backbone of this offense, and is integral to the success of this potent scoring machine. He hits well against both righties and lefties, and is also a demon on the bases with five stolen bases.

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In the past week, the Braves have played six games. During this stretch “Money Mike” has batted .480, tallying 12 hits to only five strikeouts.

The Braves do have a stacked lineup, which allows the MLBbro to hit in different parts of the lineup, but with his continuous development, Atlanta should take a look in placing him in the heart of the lineup.

Harris has spent most of the season batting 5th or lower in the lineup, but placing him second behind Acuna could help the team go to the next level. But the Braves are in a good place to be right now, being one of the hottest teams, with one of the hottest hitters.

If he continues at this rate, the eight year, $ 72 million contract he signed in 2022 will become one of the best bargains in all of sports.

Relatated: Debatable | Was Michael Harris II Contract Reflective Of His True Value ? | mlbbro.com