Atlanta Braves Minor League Infielder, Reed Harper Made A Spectacular Catch On Thursday, We Ask Him All About It

On Thursday night, the Atlanta Braves minor league affiliate, the High Class-A Carolina Mudcats, hosted the Chicago White Sox’s Winstom-Salem Dash.  The game ended with the Mudcats winning 3-1 and the player of the game was undoubtedly Reed Harper.

Harper went 1-2 at the plate with two RBI’s, but that’s not the reason he was the MVP of the game and we’re talking about him.

The 24-year-old out of Austin Peay State University (the Braves drafted him in the 25th round of the 2013 draft) made a spectacular play from his shortstop position.  On a bloop hit, Harper immediately began running towards left field.  As the ball was dropping, he dove for the ball and made the catch barehanded.

The catch was so good, ESPN’s SportsCenter used this play on their Thursday Top 10 plays of the day…it was #1 on the list!

We reached out to Harper about the play and his season.  Take a look at what he had to say.

Tomahawk Take: You made a tremendous catch on Thursday night, walk me through the play.  What went through your mind before the ball was hit, when it was hit and as the ball was in the air?

Reed Harper: They had a left-handed hitter at the plate and we were playing him to pull. I did not see the ball very well off the bat. Reading his swing, I thought it was a routine fly out to left field. My first step was in the right direction, and when I picked the ball up I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make the play. After closing the gap, the ball was kind of in a weird spot behind my head. I just threw my hand up instinctively and caught it.

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TT: The play was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day at #1. Did you watch SportsCenter this morning?  What were the emotions like seeing the play at the top spot?

Harper: I didn’t think it was that big of a deal when it happened, but the reaction from the fans in the stadium was pretty special. Everyone in the dugout was talking about how the play was going to be on Sportscenter. My Twitter feed was blowing up all night. It was crazy how quickly the video was getting so much attention. The Carolina Mudcats really did a great job of getting the video out there on social media and starting the campaign for the top play. My teammates were just as excited as I was about the attention we were getting.

TT: As you progress through the minor league Braves affiliates, do you see yourself as a more defensively, offensively, or well-balanced ball player?

Harper: There are many ups and downs to a season both offensively and defensively. Regardless of recent success or failure, the goal is to work everyday towards becoming a well-balanced player.

TT: The majority of the games in 2015, you’ve played second base, but Thursday night when you made “the play”, you were playing shortstop.  Why were you at that position? Was this just a day off case? Which position do you prefer?

Harper: I play every infield position, although I have played mostly second base. I really don’t have a position that I prefer over the others. Whatever position the manager needs me to play in order to help us win is fine by me.

TT: You’ve already jumped from Single-A (the Rome Braves) to Single-A+ (Carolina Mudcats) in 2015, what are your goals for 2015? What about at the end of the 2016 season, where would you like to be?

Harper: To me, it’s hard to set long-term goals in baseball. Everyone tries to turn baseball into such an individual sport. You’ll drive yourself nuts if you allow that much pressure to weigh on you every day. I believe if you play this game and do everything possible to help your team win every night, individual achievements will follow.

TT: What is your favorite part about playing within the Atlanta Braves organization?

Harper: The Braves are a first class organization. Management really cares about their players. The Braves obviously have a very passionate fan base that realizes how important it is to develop big league talent from within their farm system. The support is much appreciated and it makes playing this game that much more fun every night.