Michael Harris II was struggling this season after a strong 2022. The sophomore slump struck against the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and Atlanta Braves center fielder. Until June 7th, Harris was batting a measly .163 with a .490 OPS, and the center fielder was hitting in the 9-hole. The Braves faithful and management held out for a wake-up call for the 22-year-old. Entering the series versus the New York Mets, Harris’ confidence was low, and his performance at the plate was horrible. However, a brief speech spun the Georgia native into a frenzy.
Marcell Ozuna Motivates Michael Harris’ Resurgence
Sometimes, all you need in life is the confidence from a friend or someone close to you. Someone needs to come up to you and tell them they believe in you, even if you aren’t meeting expectations. That’s precisely what “Money” Michael Harris needed this season. Before the 8th inning in a tie game against the Mets, Marcell Ozuna came up to Michael Harris and told him this before his crucial at-bat:
“Hey, you’re the best center fielder in the league – not even in the league, in (all of) MLB.”
“So you gotta trust yourself. Since now, your season starts. Don’t worry about anything in the past, earlier this season. Don’t worry about anything in the past. Forget about everything and start the season now.”
Michael Harris’ at-bat led to a 2-run HR to lift the Braves to a 7-5 win, and Ozuna immediately points toward Harris:
Dollars! 💸#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/MDjNpQyMIh
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 8, 2023
Luckily for Braves fans, Michael Harris’ pep talk wasn’t a one-game experience– Michael Harris resurges for the time being.
Mike is Money:
Since June 7th, Michael Harris has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Harris is slashing .478/.826/1.305 and is electric behind the plate. The 22-year-old had a three-hit game versus the Detroit Tigers on June 12th, a four-hit game the next game against Detroit, and a five-hit game versus the Colorado Rockies on June 18th, which was his first career 5-hit game! In 12 calendar days, Harris’s batting average went from .163 to .249. Since the pep talk, Harris has had four home runs, four doubles, and only four strikeouts. Harris has 22 hits in 46 at-bats and impressed the MLB fans this week en route to earning NL Player of the Week honors.
#Braves CF Michael Harris II, fresh off his 5-for-5 performance on Sunday, was named NL Player of the week.
His weekly totals:
.556 AVG (15-for-27)
1.499 OPS
5 XBH
3 HR
9 RBI
8 R
2 SB
0 BB / 1 K pic.twitter.com/Ec8J7qOjXa— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) June 20, 2023
A resurgence was due for Michael Harris. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year caught most eyes last year, but he is finally waking up Major League Baseball fans with his performance during the past two weeks. Michael Harris had shown his light-tower power with a huge home run against the Rockies and his cannon of an arm versus the Philadelphia Phillies when he threw out J.T. Realmuto. If Braves fans are hoping for a promising center fielder, I will leave you with this tidbit about one of the hottest players in baseball that may give you more hope.
According to ESPN, Michael Harris II is the first Braves player since 1900 with a 5-hit game out of the No. 9 spot in the order. He is also the first Braves player age 22 or younger with a 5-hit game since Andruw Jones in 1999.
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