Any Atlanta Braves fan watching Michael Harris II this season realizes he isn't having the best season so far. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year started the season injured but continued to struggle in his return. Harris' power was nothing like what fans had seen during his sensational rookie year, spending much of the season barely hitting above .200. However, things are starting to look a lot better for the young center fielder in his sophomore season.
Harris was voted as one of MLB's Players of the Week, joining Shohei Ohtani from the Angels. Over seven games, Harris went 15-for-27 (.556), recording three home runs, nine RBIs, and two steals, along with having a 1.499 OPS. Harris looked much like his old self this month, with his best game coming against the Colorado Rockies on June 18th, where he went 5-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
#Braves CF Michael Harris II, fresh off his 5-for-5 performance on Sunday, was named NL Player of the week.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) June 20, 2023
His weekly totals:
.556 AVG (15-for-27)
1.499 OPS
5 XBH
3 HR
9 RBI
8 R
2 SB
0 BB / 1 K pic.twitter.com/Ec8J7qOjXa
Harris' hitting power has also looked much improved this month. Prior to June, Harris recorded just two home runs this year, but has four in the month of June, with nine games left this month. Honestly, his home run count would be even higher if he wasn't robbed by the opposing teams' defenses in some instances. Regardless, Harris has looked much better compared to earlier this year.
To see how much Harris has improved over the season though, one needs to look at the stats themselves. At the end of May, Harris was hitting just a .174/.260/.266 with a 45 wRC+. Now, however, Harris has a slash line of .249/.306/.402 with a 90 wRC+. Harris' summer break out is also coming at the right time with the Braves in the middle of a road series with the Philadelphia Phillies and a red-hot Cincinnati Reds team.
Of course, this week has been just a small sample size out of what has been a sophomore slump for the most part. However, from what he has done this month, he has clearly shown improvement and may end up getting hot in an offense that is already full of hot hitters. Let's see if he can keep it up as the Braves travel on the road for a couple of series.