Hammerin’ Harris: Braves center fielder is having a breakout offensive season

BOSTON — The ball Michael Harris II hit for a two-run home run in the eighth inning off Red Sox reliever Tyron Guerrero on Tuesday was 1.33 feet off the ground. It was a 91.5-mph changeup. It went 423 feet over the center field wall at Fenway Park.

It wasn’t supposed to do that, which had his teammates marveling at the result in the aftermath of a 7-6 win.

“Can hit any pitch in any spot, as seen from that homer,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. “(Guerrero’s) throwing 101, 102 and throws a changeup down below the zone and (Harris) hits a 2-iron out to center field. Not a lot of guys are doing that.”

Harris, 25, is only in his fifth MLB season.

Yet because he’s “incredibly talented,” said Olson, and because Harris burst onto the scene as the 2022 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner, the results haven’t necessarily matched the lofty expectations for the Stockbridge High School graduate.

And since the 2025 season was the worst of Harris’ young career in some categories — he hit just .249 with a .678 OPS, both career lows, and struck out a career-high 128 times — there is a “where did this come from?” narrative about what he has done at the plate so far this season.

“I think it’s just what I learned over the previous years, adjustments I had to make and knowing I still have to make adjustments throughout my career,” Harris said. “I guess the adjustments I’ve made so far are all coming together (from) over the past years.”

The eighth-inning homer for Harris on Tuesday was his 12th of the season in just 52 games. He also has 32 RBIs while hitting .304.

His analytics paint an even more promising picture: 56.1% of his contact has been hard-hit balls, 12.4% of contact has been barreled, and the average exit velocity of balls coming off his bat is 93.4 mph.

It’s made for a fun at-bat to watch, though not from the opposing dugout.

“His personality and the person he is, when things are going well and he’s feeling well and he’s the player he knows he can be, it’s fun to watch,” Braves pitcher Spencer Strider said of Harris’ hot start. “That’s the guy that I’ve known for a long time, and I definitely enjoy those stretches where he’s able to play that way and feel that good. It’s been a really fun start to the season to watch him play.”

Manager Walt Weiss, since February, has often spoke about Harris’ swing selection being the determining factor that takes the center fielder from good to great. That encompasses not only which pitches to swing at, but when to swing at them.

It’s no secret Harris is an aggressive hitter with a propensity to attack the first pitch of a plate appearance. He has a .366 average, has hit seven homers and driven in half his RBIs when he has swung at the first pitch.

Harris prefers the pitches on the inside half of the plate, like many left-handed hitters do, but he also has a .400 batting average on balls in play on pitches up and away. Weiss called his approach a catch-22 because while Harris certainly does take his hacks in a somewhat violent and reckless manner, when he connects, he can do damage.

“I think with Michael, obviously, he swings at a lot of stuff,” Olson said. “It’s kind of a double-edged sword sometimes because he can do things other people can’t.”

It’s curious to note Harris got off to a slow start offensively this season. His average dropped to .209 on April 6 and was resting at .213 two days later. When he began to show signs of life Harris went on paternity leave for the birth of his first child. In the 38 games since becoming a father, he hit .331 with a .951 OPS.

Even a quad strain in late April couldn’t slow his hot start.