Another month in the books and another NL Rookie of the Month award for Atlanta Braves center fielder, Michael Harris.
Atlanta Braves fans do not need anyone to tell them how special Michael Harris has been since he arrived in Atlanta. However, it is still nice to see the kid get recognized for his stellar play.
It was announced that Harris won NL Rooke of the Month for September. Making it the third time Harris has received these honors.
Another one 😎💸
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 3, 2022
Congratulations @MoneyyyMikeee! pic.twitter.com/63fxgScxuL
Since Harris debuted on May 28th, he has actually won three of the four ROY awards possible. The fourth was won by his teammate, Spencer Strider.
Harris was marvelous at the plate in the month of September, hitting .324/.343/.569 6 HR, 5 2B, 1 3B, 20 R, 19 RBI, 4 SB, with a .390 wOBA, and 152 wRC+.
He provided another great month defensively as well. During the month of September, Harris was worth 1 run prevented and 2 OAA.
Michael Harris II is almost automatic. This was another incredible play. pic.twitter.com/sjInAz9rqh
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) October 2, 2022
When Harris arrived on May 28th, he provided a much needed spark for the Braves that helped turn the season around. As evident by the fact that he won three of the four NL Rookie of the Month awards during the time he has been in the major leagues.
Harris this season has hit .298/.337/.518 19 HR, 75 R, 64 RBI, 20 SB, .368 wOBA, & 137 wRC+. His baserunning has been elite with a 5.8 BsR and 2.6 UBR. Defensively he has put together a near gold glove season with 6 runs prevented, 6 OAA, and 7 DRS.
Michael Harris has been worth 5.1 bWAR and 4.7 fWAR in 2022. His 4.7 fWAR is good for 35th in all of baseball, and as a reminder, he did not play for the first two months of the season.
If Harris had been in the league all season, we could be talking about him being on MVP ballots. Normally, this type of season would have locked up Rookie of the Year honors.
There is one obstacle.
His teammate Spencer Strider is putting together an equally impressive season worth 3.8 bWAR and 4.9 fWAR. It does appear the ROY award will make its way to Atlanta, there is just some debate on which teammate will be the one earning the honor.
While we wait for the honor of Rookie of the Year, we can celebrate another Rookie of the Month as Braves fans. Four months in a row for Braves country. Harris takes home the honor for a third time.
Maybe most importantly for Braves fans to celebrate, they know center field is locked up for the next decade. Both contractually and literally with Harris roaming in Truist.