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.
The Atlanta Braves organization boasts one of the best player development staffs in all of baseball, and for decades they have been able to produce some of the best home-grown talent in the game.
MLBbro Travis Demeritte and future bro Michael Harris II are two prime examples of how developing players in house works in the present while also setting your team up for sustained success.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how Travis Demeritte would be given an opportunity to play every day in the Braves outfield until Eddie Rosario returns. Now when he was first called up, most thought that Travis was simply a placeholder who didn’t have much chance of making an impact.
After his rough stint in Detroit that saw him demoted and eventually released, how could you blame anyone for this line of thinking? Fortunately for Demeritte, his time in Atlanta has been determined by his play and not any outside perspectives.
So far, the results have been everything the Braves could want. Although his strikeout rate is currently sitting at 29.9 percent, Demeritte is batting .395 on balls put in play and has been a versatile asset at the plate for the Braves. In his 60 at-bats Travis has collected 18 hits, three homers and five RBI, good for a slash line of .300/.358/.841.
What’s been even more impressive with Demeritte is what he’s been able to accomplish at home for the Braves. Travis’s slash line jumps even higher at Truist Park, where he is currently posting an impressive .317/.364/.852. Travis has been a welcomed addition to a team that is trying to slowly ease its superstar Ronnie Acuna Jr. back from his torn ACL.
While Demeritte’s career year has been a welcomed surprise for the Braves, the expectations surrounding their number one prospect are much loftier.
MICHAEL HARRIS II UP NEXT
Harris, the Braves third-round pick out of Stockbridge, Ga, is a five-tool talent who has already started turning heads down in Double-A with an outrageous 30 game on base streak. Through 33 games with the Mississippi Braves, Michael is hitting .289 with four homers, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
His hot start in Double-A has led to many clamoring for Harris to get the call up, but the Braves front office is being patient with a player they’ve projected to play next to Acuna in the outfield for the next decade. Braves Manager Brian Snitker didn’t mince words when asked about Harris II this spring.
“I’m all over Michael Harris,” Snitker said. “I love that kid. It’s hard not to. That’s what they (a star) look like. He just needs more experience.” Mississippi Braves manager Bruce Crabbe took it a step further with the praise.
“He’s such a smooth runner it’s hard to tell how fast he’s really going, but its fast. He hits the ball to all fields with power, and he’s only going to get stronger. He just needs reps. He’s so smart. He just gets it.”
The Braves have a system, and it has been proven effective. Demeritte was acquired from the Rangers and developed as an outfielder and have helped guide him to a career year so far. If all goes to plan, Michael Harris II will be the next great success story.
It will soon be Touki Time in the ATL and not a moment too soon for the Atlanta Braves whose bullpen has the seventh- highest ERA in MLB.
Dany Gilbert Kiti “Touki” Toussaint returned from the 60-day injury list impressively for both the Atlanta Braves High-A Rome Braves and the Double-A Mississippi Braves.
While sporting a 0.75 WHIP, Toussaint has surrendered three earned runs, three walks, and two hits in just six innings while holding batters to a minuscule 0.95 batting average.
He’s dealing and he’s come a long way from the 2018 SiriusXM Future Games at MLB All-Star Weekend when he shared the stage with Hunter Greene, Jo Adell, Kyle Lewis and Ke’Bryan.
Touki Toussaint, a former first round pick of the Diamondbacks, made his debut for the #Braves last August and has been a contributor to Atlanta’s bullpen this season.
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