Michael Harris II Could Have Become a Pitcher

Michael Harris II is one of the best young talents in the game. Signed to a $72 million extension last week (this less than three months after making his major-league debut with the Atlanta Braves), the 21-year-old outfielder is one of the National League’s leading Rookie of the Year candidates and has the potential to become a perennial All-Star. Seventy-nine games into his big-league career, Harris is slashing .286/.331/.504 with 13 home runs and a 129 wRC+. Moreover, he’s swiped 15 bases in as many attempts.

And he might have been a pitcher. Prior to being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Stockbridge High School, Harris was considered one of the top left-handed talents in the state of Georgia, and more than a few scouts saw his future on the mound. As for whether he might have followed in the footsteps of other sports luminaries, the former multi-sport athlete has confidence in his abilities, but is happy to be an outfielder.

———

David Laurila: You’re obviously still young. Do you feel that you’ve come around to fully understanding who you are as a player?

Michael Harris II: “I think so. I’d say I’m more so an all-around hitter than I am a power hitter or a contact hitter. I can pretty much do anything, I guess. It’s all parts of the field, and I have power while I’m doing it. I’m able to find ways to sneak in some hits when I need to. Different things like that.”

Laurila: What is your approach at the plate?

Harris: “My approach is to go up there and hunt fastballs and react to off-speed. At the same time, you always need to be ready for off-speed, because they throw a lot of it up here. They have to. They have to find different ways to get batters out.”

Laurila: If I watched film of you now and compared it to when you entered pro ball, would I see the same setup and swing?

Harris: “It might be similar swings, but it’s definitely not the same setup. I changed my stance when I got up here. I’ve lowered my hands.”

Laurila: Why did you lower your hands?

Harris: “I was having a little… I wouldn’t say trouble — I was still having a little success — but there were some weak groundballs on pitches I should be able to get to. My hands were higher and kind of wrapped behind my head, and lowering them allows me to have more space. I have more time and can get to balls more easily.”

Laurila: Changing direction, were you a multi-sport athlete growing up?

Harris: “Yes. I basically played every sport except hockey… everything but the northern sports. I also didn’t start playing golf until now. So I played soccer, football, basketball, I did track… pretty much all of those.”

Laurila: Given your athleticism, I’m guessing you could have played sports other than baseball at a high level?

Harris: “Basketball I didn’t really take too seriously. I just liked to shoot from half court. That wouldn’t have lasted as a career, so I threw that out the window. Football…”

Laurila: Before you get to football, elaborate on basketball. Were you mostly just out there having fun, or were you trying to be Stephen Curry?

Harris: “I mean, I was Curry before Curry! But no, I would play basketball to be a shooter. I wasn’t the type to dribble and drive to the basket, I just liked to shoot from beyond the arc.”

Laurila: What about football? Could you have played at the college level?

Harris: “Maybe, but that’s a lot of injury risk, so I stopped doing it. But I feel that if I had enjoyed it as much as baseball and stuck with it, I probably could have played in college.”

Laurila: At which position?

Harris: “Cornerback.”

Laurila: Did you enjoy hitting people?

Harris: “No. I was more of a Deion Sanders. I liked to go get the ball. I didn’t really like to go out there and hit people. I didn’t want to get hurt.”

Laurila: What about your career path in baseball? Why are you a position player and not a pitcher?

Harris: “I like to play every day. Being a pitcher was fun, I enjoyed it, but I like to compete every day.”

Laurila: I understand that you were pretty good on the mound. How hard did you throw?

Harris: “I topped out at 93 [mph]. Perfect Game had me as the No. 1 left-handed pitcher in Georgia, so I guess I was pretty decent. But again, I’d rather be an outfielder.”

Laurila: Was the decision entirely yours, or did scouts push you in that direction?

Harris: “The Braves thought that I would be a better outfielder, and I’m glad they did. A lot of teams saw me more as a pitcher and weren’t going to take a chance on me as an outfielder. There were three teams going into the draft… my top teams were all going to draft me as an outfielder. Everybody else was pretty much on me as a pitcher.”

Laurila: Would you like to be a Shohei Ohtani some day and do both?

Harris: “Hah! I feel like I could have done that right out of the draft, but it might be a little too late to pick that up. There’s all of the arm care that goes into it, all of the different things you train your arm for for a long season. But yes. With all the right training, I think I could do it.”