Key Stat From Braves Michael Harris II Reveals Promise for 2026 Season

The Atlanta Braves center fielder is slowly establishing the foundation for what could be a big season ahead

The Braves' center fielder appears to be taking an important step | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With all the buzz, for better and for worse, in spring training, the performance of an Atlanta Braves mainstay has slipped under the radar. Michael Harris II took major strides in the latter half of the 2025 season, but there was a key step to take.

Plate discipline needs to follow the change in his stance. It was his goal to get the proper adjustments that couldn't be done over the offseason. So far, he's showing that those adjustments are being made.

Following his performance against Colombia, he's batting .545 with four RBIs, and three extra-base hits. While he's hitting ball hard, seeing it well, and he's finding the outfield grass, another key stat is more reflective of the step forward he's trying to take.

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He's drawn three walks in 15 plate appearances. That's a walk rate of 20%. He drew a single free pass in spring training last year. He's already halfway to matching the total number of walks he had after the All-Star Break last year.

There is work being put into improving his pitch selection, and he hasn't needed much time to put that work into action. With everything that has gone wrong for the Braves since they arrived in North Port early last month, they can look to him for hope of what good could be coming this season.

A combination of Harris' ability to spray the ball around the field and extra plate discipline could be a lethal combination. Even with the season Harris had last season, he was able to muster 20 home runs for the first time in his career. Maybe 30 or more could be in the cards.

He had 152 hits while batting .249 last year. If he can tally 180 hits in the same number of at-bats (611), and a better eye helps, he'd have a .294 average for the season. More walks also mean more opportunities to be a headache for pitchers on the basepaths. If he had 20 stolen bases with just a .268 on-base percentage, Harris could be in for a 30-30 season.

It's not that far out of the realm of possibility. Harris is that close to a big breakout season. We still have to see how it all translates to the regular season, but he's on a promising track early.