ATLANTA — The bright smile Michael Harris II flashed at the end of an 11-10 comeback win over the White Sox on Tuesday night at Truist Park told the story. Making a great catch to end this wild game just added to the fun the Braves’ center fielder has had while being arguably the game’s most productive player over the past month.
“I mean, it’s just kind of a testament to the person he is,” Braves rookie catcher Drake Baldwin said. “I mean, even when he had a little bit of a rough start to the year, I mean, he still came into the locker room and he had that smile every single day.”
Yeah, but that smile has become a little brighter as Harris has gone from being baseball’s least productive hitter to one of its best players since the All-Star break. His two-run homer in the first inning of Tuesday’s win was his 21st extra-base hit in the second half, matching him with Bryce Harper for MLB’s third-highest total.
How impressive has the turnaround been? Well, Harris had 22 extra-base hits while playing 62 more games during the season’s first half.
“It’s been a lot of fun to watch,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. “[Harris] is one of the most talented guys on the field, any field you step on. He has been definitely grinding. He got a little All-Star break, a little time at home with the family, and obviously he made some adjustments.”
Harris’ decision to raise his hands in his batting stance during the final week before the All-Star break has been well documented. The 2022 National League Rookie of the Year exited the first half ranked last among qualified MLB players with a .551 OPS. He ranks second since the break with a 1.145 mark, trailing only former Braves Minor Leaguer Shea Langeliers (1.189).
And he’s also continued to provide top-notch defense. So, it shouldn’t be surprising to see that he entered Tuesday ranked second among all MLB players with a 2.2 fWAR, trailing only the A’s duo of Nick Kurtz (2.3) and Langeliers (2.3).
“Michael has been like the hottest player on the planet for a while,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Yep. So, why did he choose to bunt with the bases loaded, none out and the Braves trailing by two runs in Tuesday’s eighth inning?
“I can’t [explain it],” Snitker said with a chuckle.
Thanks to Baldwin delivering a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning, the Braves overcame a six-run, seventh-inning deficit and were able to laugh about the unsuccessful bunt attempt that went back to the mound and resulted in a forceout at the plate.
“I felt like it was the best thing to do in that situation,” Harris said. “I just didn’t execute the way I planned in my head. Everything worked in my head a lot better. I was just planning to get it down first and secure a run. Then if I got out, we’d still have a chance to have second and third one up to get the go-ahead run.”
So, along with being a Gold Glove-caliber defender and one of the game’s hottest hitters, Harris is also unselfish.
“Then he goes and makes two great plays in the ninth inning,” Snitker said. “I’m sure, once he got to first base, right there, he was like, ‘Oh man,’ and he regretted it. But the kid never takes what happens at the plate to the defensive side, and that’s an unbelievable trait to have.”
Olson notched four hits while playing in his 746th consecutive game, the 12th longest streak in MLB history and the fourth longest streak of the expansion era, which began in 1969.
Getting a chance to see Harris race into shallow center and dive to catch Lenyn Sosa’s game-ending sinking liner and then smile while sitting in the grass was a good way to end a special day.
“He’s one of the best center fielders I’ve seen play,” Olson said. “I was yelling at [second baseman Ozzie Albies] to go get that ball because I thought [Harris] was going to be too deep. I thought it was gonna be something that dropped in. So I was making sure Ozzy knew to go for it. Then he came flying in there with a great catch.”
