Braves Young Star Opens Grapefruit League Play With First Pitch Bomb

If you ask the rest of the league, the Atlanta Braves are good enough already. 

Returning almost all of the roster that hit a MLB-record tying 307 homers last season, as well as adding MLB's career leader in strikeout rate, Chris Sale, to a rotation featuring MLB's single season leader in strikeouts last season in Spencer Strider and 2022's NL Cy Young runner-up in Max Fried, Atlanta's MLB roster just seems unfair. 

But if Michael Harris II has his way, it'll be even more dangerous in 2024. 

The young centerfielder started Atlanta's Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday with a bang, homering to right first on the very first pitch of the game off of Tampa Bay non-roster invitee Nathan Wiles. 

Harris, who batted leadoff as one of only three lineup regulars who made the trip to Port Charlotte, finished the game 2-3 with two runs scored and a RBI before giving way to offseason trade acquisition J.P. Martínez in center. 

Of the other MLB regulars who made the trip, Marcell Ozuna (playing first base) finished 1-2 with a walk and a strikeout, while Jarred Kelenic went 0-3 with a strikeout. Atlanta held off late rallies by the Tampa Bay backups, who scored single runs in each of the 4th through 8th innings, to win 6-5.

What does this mean for 2024?

And so as Atlanta continues winding their way down towards Opening Day, questions remain about what to expect out of Harris in 2024. He's had two mostly full seasons in the majors, batting .293 & .297 and putting up 37 homers and 40 stolen bases combined in his first 252 career regular season games. 

Does he resume his place as the best performing #9 hitter in the league? Harris has 152 career games from the bottom of the order, batting an absurd .302/.336/.510 with 25 homers and 23 stolen bases. There's an argument that since he wants to bat there, leave him there and let that familiarity and comfort breed production.  

Or does Atlanta move him up in the order? Batting Harris in the #2 hole would be worth almost 100 more plate appearances per season than leaving him in ninth. Even though he doesn't walk a lot - a career 4.7% rate, well below the MLB average of 8.4% - his speed and skill on the basepaths (96th percentile "Baserunning Run Value" in 2023, per Statcast) would make him a threat behind Ronald Acuña Jr and could further supercharge an offense that hit another level with Matt Olson moved to cleanup last June. 

Either way, I'm on the record as predicting a breakout season from Harris, with not only his first career All-Star nod but also a 25/25 season and finishing in the Gold Glove conversation. 

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