Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II had a first half to forget. The 24-year-old was the second-worst qualified hitter by wRC+, having 37 more plate appearances than the worst hitter, Brenton Doyle.
The lefty slashed .210/.234/.317 and Braves fans were starting to question if Harris would be a viable option to be the starting center fielder moving forward. However, a month into the second half, any doubt about Money Mike has been left in the first half.
Instead of worrying whether or not the Braves need to consider potential center field replacements, we're wondering whether or not anyone has ever had such a drastic post-All Star break turnaround (hint: no one has).
Michael Harris II drastic splits between first and second half seem impossible
In MLB history, there have only been 13 hitters with at least 360 plate appearances in the first half and an OPS+ of 60 or below. Harris had the sixth-lowest OPS+ of the bunch. Of the other 12 hitters, none of them even finished the season with an OPS+ of 85.
Roger Metzger of the 1979 Giants finished the season with an 84 OPS+ thanks to a 159 OPS+ in the second-half. Aside from Metzger, no other hitter finished even 20% worse than a league-average hitter.
Given the historical precedent, a best-case prediction for Harris at the end of the first half might have guessed that he'd finish the season in roughly the same position as Metzger did in 1979. After all, only nine qualified hitters last season finished the second half with a 159 OPS+ or better.
Instead, Harris has already blown past this mark. Entering Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Harris's season OPS+ was already 95. He ranked as the third-best hitter by OPS+, behind only Athletics sluggers Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers.
At this point, the question is no longer whether or not Harris can salvage his season, but what is the ceiling on this hot streak the slugger is on. The adjustments the Braves star center fielder has made seem to be for real, and it looks like we're headed for another offseason where we bullishly predict a Money Mike MVP.