Atlanta Braves Prospects: Michael Harris II Scouting Report
Not many Atlanta Braves prospects impressed more in 2021 than Michael Harris II. We continue our scouting reports looking at the talented outfielder.
Considered by many now to be the best prospect in the Atlanta Braves farm system, Michael Harris II enters 2022 with high expectations.
I wrote this article a little over a year ago about how even during a pandemic the hype on Michael Harris II was growing rapidly.
That hype only got bigger with an impressive showing in Spring Training before the 2021 season.
Then he backed it up by slashing .294/.362/.436/.798 with 26 doubles, 7 home runs, and 27 stolen bases in 101 games at High-A Rome.
That led to him being named the Atlanta Braves Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
Going back further, Michael Harris II was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Stockbridge High School in Georgia where he was an outfielder and a pitcher.
The Braves were able to sign him under slot value at $547,500 as someone who was very raw but with a lot of upside.
That same year, he crushed it at the rookie-level slashing .349/.403/.514/.917 in 31 games before getting promoted to what was then Low-A Rome.
Things didn’t go as well there in just 22 games, but still, many saw the potential for this 18-year old.
Now he enters 2022 as the organization’s top prospect and will make a big jump up to the Double-A level.
Michael Harris II — Swing and Approach
I really love the stance and swing from Harris. He starts a little open with his hands back and has a moderate leg kick, but he manages to keep his head and shoulders still while working his hands to the baseball.
A lot will be said about how he needs to generate more power, and that can be done as he learns to use his hips a little more.
Even on this home run, there is very little rotation in the hips.
Middle-middle to Michael?!?! C’mon now, you know better than that.@MoneyyyMikeee sends one to another area code to tie this one up!
— Rome Braves (@TheRomeBraves) August 25, 2021
⬆️8️⃣ Rome 4 | Bowling Green 4 pic.twitter.com/q9aguhm8br
But just about every time I watch him he’s constantly squaring up baseballs.
ICYMI: @MoneyyyMikeee drives in two runs with a sixth-inning single. The R-Braves dropped the first game of tonight’s doubleheader by the slimmest of margins but will look for a win in the night cap, starting soon! pic.twitter.com/iz7CZspN0x
— Rome Braves (@TheRomeBraves) September 1, 2021
And for such a young player, he already carries himself like a professional at the plate with a very disciplined approach.
Very rarely did I see him take a bad swing in the games I went back and watch, and the only time I ever saw him swing at the first pitch was when he had a runner on third with less than two outs.
Otherwise, he was very patient and worked the count until he got a pitch he could hit. And even when he fell behind in the count, he seemed very calm at the plate and put the ball in play.
He had an 18% strikeout rate at Rome in 2021, but I think in the six or seven games I watched he maybe struck out twice.
We’ll see if that continues as he gets to the upper levels.
Michael Harris II — Defense and Comparisons
Everyone knows that Cristian Pache is the best defensive player in the organization — maybe even all of Minor League Baseball. But don’t let that overshadow the fact that Harris is a potential Gold Glove winner in center field someday, too.
Michael Harris II joins Cristian Pache as Braves outfielders to earn @RawlingsSports Gold Gloves this year! pic.twitter.com/9JShspSyYY
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) November 13, 2021
He gets great jumps on the baseball and can get to pretty much anything. As mentioned earlier, he was a pitcher in high school that could throw in the upper 80s, so you know the arm is strong.
https://twitter.com/TheRomeBraves/status/1434623339859951619?s=20
Comparisons
Just looking at some left-handed hitters around the league with similar swing comparisons, his swing is actually pretty similar to Andrew Benintendi.
Harris is three inches taller, but the stance and movements are pretty spot on. And don’t forget, Benintendi was the top prospect in all of baseball before 2017 and has had some very solid years at the big league level.
Nobody else really came to mind as a great comparison, so if you think of one let me know in the comments below.
Michael Harris II — Projection and Timetable
He’ll turn 21 in March so there is obviously still some room for growth. Again, I think he’s a four-tool player right now with the ability to hit for average, run, field, and throw — all of those tools are above-average right now.
If he simply sticks with that toolset and continues through the minors as he has, I can see him being a .270 hitter with 15 home runs, 20-plus stolen bases, an OPS around .780, and perhaps a Gold Glove or two.
The remaining question is whether or not he ever develops the power tool. If that happens and he gets to 20-25 home runs a year, then we’re talking about a perennial All-Star.
I’ve already mentioned that I think if he opens up his hips some more he can get to that power, but then does that take away from his hit tool and lead to more strikeouts?
That’s what a lot of hitters in today’s game have to battle with. Either way, he looks to be an impact player at the big league level.
When does that happen?
I think he will — and should — spend all of 2022 at Double-A. We’ll learn a lot more about him at that level and it’s where players typically show the most growth or get flushed out.
Again, he’s still just 21 and needs that development at the Double-A level. Give him all of 2022 to let that happen — kind of like they did with Shea Langeliers in 2021.
Then we’ll see what happens to start 2023, but I think he’ll eventually make his debut that season.
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I was already really hyped about Harris but watching the video of him and how he carries himself on the field and consistently makes hard contact, I can’t wait to see what he does at Double-A in 2022.