The Atlanta Braves have been searching for their long term answer in center field. At one point the team thought they had it in Christian Pachè, but now he's taking swings in Oakland. Ronald Acuña could do the job very well, but he may better suited to occupy his spot in right field. After making the call to the minors to call up their top overall prospect, the Braves figure to have their everyday guy of the future in Michael Harris II.
Cory McCartney joined the Morning Show to discuss!
"I think he's a combination of every player that Braves have tried to put into center field as an everyday player and take those best pieces of them," McCartney said. "He's got defensive acumen that you got from Christian Pachè and Ender Inciarte. He's an elevated version offensively of those guys and he has a chance to be really special."
The Braves have been searching for that consistent, everyday guy since Andruw Jones left the organization in 2008. The team has only had two players hit above league average and had more than 100 plate appearances. Those guys are Joc Pederson and Ronald Acuña Jr.
"(The Braves) have been waiting a long time to get someone who is a real mix of offense and defense out there," McCartney said. "To me, this is like you're getting Michael Bourne as the ground floor of his career. He's a player that can get on base, who can show you some speed, and play some very good defense. He can work his way up to hitting in the two-spot behind Ronald Acuña."
The sample size is still exceptionally small, but Harris projects as that five-tool player at the professional level. His defense could be enough to keep him in the bigs, but the question lingers in terms of his consistency at the plate. At the very least, Harris provides a strong glove in center and a spark on the base paths.
Harris is still young at 21-years-old, but he has performed at every level he's been at within the organization. The team must have seen enough in him to have the confidence to propel him all the way from AA to the major leagues.
The Braves outfield needed a shot in the arm in the short term. In the long term, they need an everyday center fielder. Michael Harris may just be that guy.