Monte Harrison’s Miami Mash Is Catching Up To His Elite Mitt

Monte Harrison’s Miami Mash Is Catching Up To His Elite Mitt

by | Jul 19, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

Monte Harrison showed a glimpse of why Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly believes he has the chance to be the best defensive outfielder in the organization.

 


Marlins fans have had Harrison under the microscope for years and there’s pressure for him to show they gained something from losing their former Silver Slugger and MVP outfielder MVP Christian Yelich in the notorious trade. 

 

 

Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter has not shown great promise as a trade negotiator during his tenure as Marlins owner.

He dealt away Yelich to the Brewers in 2018 for Monte Harrison and three other prospects, who each have made little no impact in the Majors.

Yelich would go on to win the 2018 Most Valuable Player award and finish second in the voting in 2019.

Harrison was a three-sport athlete during his time at Lee’s Summit West High School in Missouri.

He had over 1,000 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns while also averaging over 15 points a game on the basketball court.

 

Harrison was a four-star recruit and the 33rd ranked Wide Receiver in the nation. He committed to the University of Nebraska before being drafted out of high school by the Brewers in the second round of the 2014 draft.

During his first season in the Brewers system he stole 32 bases and hit .260 in 50 games.  

After being sent to Miami in 2018, he played for the Jacksonville Shrimp where he hit 19 home runs and stole 28 bases in 136 games.

That led to him being added to their 40-man roster.  He was named to the Futures All-Star game in 2019 where he hit .274 with nine home runs and 20 steals.

Harrison made his Major League debut August 3rd of 2020, but his play at the plate during his time in the Bigs has been subpar. His lack of opportunity has factored into his struggles.

He’s batting just .167 for his career over 53 at-bats, including a 1-for-7 clip season.

 

 

Harrison’s bat will come around, but what he has proven is that his glove is ready for prime time. 

Harrison gave us a web gem of the year submission on Saturday night, when he laid all out and made a diving catch down the right field line to save extra bases and keep a nail biter against the Phillies at a 1-1 tie.

 

 

Plays like this come as no surprise to Mattingly, who has been raving about Harrison for years.

“Monte Harrison will be the best outfield defender at whatever position he plays in the outfield,” said Mattingly.  “The fans of South Florida are going to love this guy.”

Monte Harrison and his brother Shaquille, who is a member of the Denver Nuggets are in a rare club of brothers in the MLB and NBA; that group includes Klay and Trayce Thompson.

 

“We just worked our butts off every single day,” said Harrison.  We were always those kids that got in trouble, got made fun of and little stuff like that.  People thought that we weren’t going to really be anything.  We both sat down and were in like, “We can be whatever we want to be, we’ve got to work for it.”

Harrison has been used mostly as a pinch hitter and runner during his time in the Majors this season but with the trade deadline approaching he may get a chance at consistent playing time sooner rather than later.

#HIGHFIVE: Top 5 Black & Brown MLB Players (Week 14)

#HIGHFIVE: Top 5 Black & Brown MLB Players (Week 14)

by | Jul 9, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

Tim Anderson had a lot to say this week after being left off of the American League All-Star roster. 

But instead of words, the White Sox shortstop used his bat to campaign for why he should be in Denver. 

And Anderson’s bat spoke volumes. He batted over .430 this week, including going 4-for-4 in Wednesday’s game against Minnesota.

For that, he claims the top spot for Week 14 on our #HighFive list.

 

1.Tim Anderson


T.A. is one of the anointed faces of the game of baseball, and the sport will be missing out on something special by not having the R.B.I. Baseball cover boy at this year’s All-Star game.

He has the second-highest batting average for all American League shortstops at .307 and has added 29 RBI, 14 steals and a .768 OPS on a first-place White Sox team that has been riddled with injuries since spring training.

 

 

This week, T.A. went off! 

Over his last seven games, he has a .433 batting average with seven runs and a .485 OBP.  Anderson also has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games and is riding a nine-game hitting streak. 

He’s reached base safely in his last eight plate appearances, including three walks, four singles, and a double. 

 

 

Even legendary Hall of Famer Frank Robinson had a lot to say about Anderson missing out on the 2021 All-Star game.  His batting average is currently the ninth highest in all of baseball and hopefully, he will use his snubbing as fuel to the fire during his quest for a second batting championship.

 

 

2. Cedric “CM STORM” Mullins 

 


We have pleaded his case this entire season, and last Sunday we finally got what we wanted; Mullins is a Major League All-Star.

The 5-foot-8, multi-faceted phenom started celebrating his achievement mid-game during a matchup against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday by hitting a game-tying, pinch-hit single then following that with a go-ahead home run. 

 

 

This week, Mullins hit three home runs while batting .321 with six RBI, five runs and a stolen base.  He is leading all American League outfielders in hits, total bases, OPS, and his 3.9 WAR is the highest for all outfielders and sixth-highest in the Majors. 

 

 

Mullins will be participating in next Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Denver and has a chance to enter the starting lineup due to an injury to Mike Trout. 

 

3. Dom Smith

 

 

Mets’ outfielder Dominic Smith is making his first appearance on our #HighFive list this season.  His year has been up and down, but lately, he has become one of the most consistent players in New York’s lineup.

Smith had the first two-homer game of his career last Thursday against the Braves. Then followed that with a home run off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole a few games later. 

 

He batted .375 with six RBI and eight runs over his last seven games and added a web gem when he jumped into foul grounds to snag a ball out of the air.

 


This weekend, his Mets welcome MLBBro Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Pittsburgh Pirates to CitiField for a four-game series.

 

4. Aaron Judge

 


This season for the Yankees has been disappointing, but the Tower of Power Aaron Judge has responded to the bright lights and been one of the best players in baseball this entire season. 

Last Thursday night, he was named an All-Star starter for the American League outfield and also became just the fifth Yankee ever to hit 20 home runs before the All-Star break in three straight seasons.

 

 

One of those home runs came during a Bro-on-Bro crime when he launched a ball to the right-field bleachers of Yankee Stadium against Taijuan Walker to break up his no-hit bid in the sixth inning.

 

 

Judge is one of baseball’s top sluggers so it is a little disappointing he is not participating in one of the most anticipated Home Run Derby’s in recent memory, but he needs his rest as a big second half by him is a must if the Yankees, who currently sit just two games above .500, want to get back into contention for the American League East pennant.

 

5. Andrew McCutchen

 

 

This season has been a resurgence for Andrew McCutchen and after what he’s done to Chicago Cubs’ staff during this series, he may want to get a permanent residency in their batter’s box and on our #HighFive list.

 

 

On Tuesday, he hit his second grand slam of the season in the game’s first inning, and then he added a two-run shot Wednesday night.

 

 

He is 5-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles, seven RBI and four runs with a game still to go Thursday night.