Big Spring From Michael Harris Catching Attention of Braves Teammates

Michael Harris II continues to see the ball well and hit it hard in Spring Training. In two trips to the plate on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves center fielder picked up a double and another walk. Including the matchup against Colombia, he has four of each so far in spring training.

These changes are sticking out to his teammates, who are hoping to see him bounce back in a big way this season.

“Last year, it was the walks; he really didn’t walk much,” Grant Holmes said over the weekend, when asked who has stood out to him. “And I feel like he’s matched his walks, if not more than spring training last year, and he’s hit the ball hard.”

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The main adjustments to his swing came after the All-Star Break, when he was statistically the worst-qualified hitter in the game. Following the adjustments, which included raising his hands to his ears instead of keeping them down by his chest, he went on a strong run, at one point, one of the best hitters in the game. The script had completely flipped.

“He still did well enough to be a player of his caliber, and I feel like, you know, with how he’s doing this spring, I feel like it’s going to rollover into the season, and it’s going to be really, really nice to have those long at-bats from him,” Holmes added. “It’s really nice seeing him come around and be who he is.”

It won’t take much to have a better start to 2026 than in 2025. Win one of the first seven, and that goal was technically achieved. But Harris and the team as a whole have a chance to make a serious statement out of the gate. If he’s seeing the ball this well in the regular season, they’ll find themselves in the win column quickly.

Overall, during the season in 2025, Harris finished batting .249 with a .677 OPS, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. That late stretch allowed him to have his first 20/20 season.

To get a true idea of how his season played out, here are his splits from before and after the All-Star Game:

Before: .210 avg, .551 OPS, six home runs, 44 RBIs, 93 games
After: .299 avg, .845 OPS, 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, 67 games

It’s important to note the number of games played, since he more than doubled his home runs and nearly matched his RBIs in 26 fewer games. That was still with the lack of plate discipline, too. He drew just six walks after the Break.

That level of improvement just from better contact should warrant some anticipation for what can come with better pitch selection. So far, the results in spring training have been some great numbers. He’s not going to bat .400 in the regular season. He probably won’t bat .400 over spring training in its entirety, but it’s setting the stage for some big highs and fewer lows.