There is a lot right about the Atlanta Braves right now. Sweeping the Phillies is always a great feeling, and they did so in dominating fashion. The pitching staff was stingy, and the offense got contributions from throughout the lineup over those three games. However, no Braves player may have had a better weekend than Michael Harris II.
After winning Rookie of the Year, Harris has gained a reputation as a guy with all the potential in the world, but who hasn't been able to put it all together yet. When he is on, Harris is a walking 20+/20+ threat, but his aggressive approach at the plate and maddening offensive inconsistency made for some of the best and worst at-bats you are likely to see.
However, something has changed, and it is definitely for the better. While he hasn't addressed all of his flaws just yet, Harris has really shored up his performance against two pitch types that have given him fits during his career so far.
Michael Harris II is absolutely dialed in right now, and the numbers clearly show it
Again, the complete picture with Harris isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Despite all of his gains, his chase rate is still bad, and while he is drawing more walks, Harris is still in the bottom third of the league in walk rate. He also is grading out as a poor baserunner, but that one specifically is probably small-sample weirdness.
However, Harris' improvements stick out like a sore thumb. Aside from the fact that nearly all of his quality of contact metrics have shown real gains, Harris is also performing much better against fastballs and changeups this year. Changeups have long been a foil for Harris, and he only hit .253 against heaters in 2024 and .254 last season.
This season, it is a different story. Against opposing fastballs, Harris is hitting .346 so far this season, which is in line with what he did during his ROY campaign. Against changeups, which he was limited to hitting just .225 last season, Harris is hitting them at a .357 clip. Oddly enough, he is having a career-worst year against breaking balls this season, but that is a problem for another day.
Maybe all of those tweaks to his swing and approach are finally paying off. Perhaps this is just another Harris heater that will fizzle out in a week or two. It's possible that being a new father has imbued Harris with baseball superpowers (dad strength is real, after all). Whatever the case may be, there is plenty to be excited about with Harris' new profile. Now he just has to keep it up.
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