Recent Tear From Braves' Michael Harris II Was Only a Matter of Time

It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Michael Harris II went on a tear. The metrics indicated that the Atlanta Braves’ centerfielder was hitting the ball hard, and he was experiencing some tough luck. Now, he’s hitting like the underlying numbers said he would.

In his last seven games, Harris is batting .455 with a 1.384 OPS, three home runs and a stolen base. He has three walks in that stretch, giving him a walk rate of 12%. This run has pushed up his batting average on the season from .213 to .290, and his OPS from .543 to .826.

These numbers are on par with the first two seasons of his career, where he received MVP votes and took home the 2022 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Perhaps some of it is that new dad strength, but something has been brewing. Harris’ recent run is a reflection of his overall trends at the plate.

According to Baseball Savant, he went from being in the first percentile in walks last season to being in the 38th percentile so far this season. His season-long 6.8% walk rate would be the highest of his career by far if he sustains it.

Harris began the season with just one walk in his first 12 games. Since then, he's drawn four in his last eight games. The switch may have finally flipped.

He’s always hit the ball hard, but he’s been able to take that a step further, too. He’s currently seeing career bests in hard-hit rate (54.7%) and exit velocity (93.6). His line-drive rate (24.1%) is increasing against, compared to 2025 (22.3%), and is closer to where it was in 2024 (24.9%).

All of his hard-hitting metrics, including his barrel rate of 16.7%, are all in the 90th percentile or higher, according to Baseball Savant.

Harris has been somewhat of a sleeping giant at the plate for a while. He’s had his streaks, some that have been historic, but he hasn’t been able to maintain much over the course of a full season since his second year in the league.

The adjustments to his stance and swing allowed him to bring his hands to the ball with more ease. All he needed was to become a tougher out, which he has.

It’s not a coincidence that his other metrics have been elevated by an increase in his plate discipline. Better pitch selection means he’s going to hit more line drives, have fewer pop-ups and soft contact, and that brings up his overall exit velocity. In turn, he has more stats on an All-Star level.

These adjustments have allowed Harris to get going much earlier in the year compared to recent seasons. Perhaps this could be the season in which he makes his case for a nod to the Midsummer Classic. With how the Braves look overall, they’re going to set themselves up for a larger group of All-Stars.

The ceiling that Michael Harris II still has can’t be emphasized enough. In what was statistically the worst season of his career, he finished with 152 hits, 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 86 RBIs.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could be a 30/30 ballplayer who is pushing for 180 hits and 100 RBIs. The barrier is plate discipline. That’s a major barrier, but he’s seeing improvement. Even if it stays between 6% and 7%, we should see a very different Michael Harris at the plate this season.

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