Ever since he won NL Rookie of the Year, Atlanta Braves fans have been eagerly awaiting Michael Harris II's ascent to stardom. Harris showed every single tool in that rookie campaign, which, understandably, created some very high expectations of the young center fielder. Adding on to that, the Braves went ahead and gave Harris a lucrative contract extension, and once a guy gets paid, fans expect them to hold up their end of the bargain.
Thus far, that isn't exactly how things have gone for Harris, although the details make things a little cloudy. His sophomore campaign was okay with a 116 wRC+ in 2023, but the 2024 and 2025 seasons saw him be an average or below average hitter overall. However, what those numbers don't tell you is how Harris had stretches during both seasons where he was among the worst qualified hitters in baseball, but also had stretches where he looked like Babe Ruth.
That inconsistency has made predicting which version of Harris will show up on any given night. However, Braves insider Mark Bowman seems to think that Harris' talent will finally win out in 2026 and that he will finally post a 30/30 season.
Braves fans would be very pleased if Braves insider Mark Bowman is right about Michael Harris II
Bowman freely acknowledges that Harris has been inconsistent so far. However, he also said that Harris showed a lot of determination in playing through his struggles and trying to find ways to make it work all season long. In Bowman's mind, Harris ended 2025 on the right note, and with his raw athletic talent, that determination could easily be enough to push Harris to a 30/30 season.
If you ignore the nightmare-inducing slumps, this is not that crazy of a prediction. Harris has hovered around 20 homers a season the last four seasons, but the pace he was on during his rookie year could have gotten him 30+ had he played a full season. The guy is not lacking power whatsoever. Harris has also usually stolen around 20 bags a season during his career thus far. If he gets the green light more and gets some help from new Braves base-running guru Antoan Richardson, 30+ steals may be on the low end.
However, none of this matters if Harris can't make more consistent hard contact and/or draw more walks. Soft grounders to the right side and infield pop-ups aren't going to clear the fence or get Harris on base to show his speed. He has all the ingredients needed for a 30/30 season, but he needs to figure out the fundamentals better first.