Monte Fitzgerald Harrison ( ; born August 10, 1995) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
who is a free agent. He has previously played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
and
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
.
Career
Amateur career
Harrison played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
at
Lee's Summit West High School
Lee's Summit West High School is located at 2600 Southwest Ward Road in Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States. It opened in the fall of 2004 and is part of the Lee's Summit R-VII School District. Current enrollment is approximately 2000 students. T ...
in
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...
. In football, he had 60 receptions for 1,007 receiving yards, 13 receiving
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
, 198 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass as a senior. He committed to the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
to play football in July 2013. He was considered one of the top prospects for the
2014 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...
and was also one of the top
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
recruits.
He was ranked as a four-star recruit by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
, and was their 33rd best wide receiver in the class.
Harrison committed to play football at
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
over competing offers from schools such as
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
,
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
and
Vanderbilt.
Milwaukee Brewers
Harrison was drafted by the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
in the second round of the
2014 Major League Baseball draft
The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...
. He signed with the Brewers on June 14 and was assigned to the
Arizona League Brewers
The Arizona Complex League Brewers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Arizona Complex League (ACL) and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The are located in Phoenix, Arizona, and play their home games at American Family F ...
where he posted a .261 batting average with one home run and 20 RBIs, along with 32 stolen bases, in 50 games.
In 2015, Harrison began the season with the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton, Wisconsin, Appleton in the Fox ...
, and after batting only .148 with 11 RBIs in 46 games, he was reassigned to the
Helena Brewers
The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwauke ...
, where he finished the season and where he posted a .299 average with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 28 games. In 2016, Harrison returned to the Timber Rattlers and spent the whole season there, batting .221 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 75 games. He spent the 2017 season with both Wisconsin and the
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...
and posted a combined .272 batting average with 21 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases in 122 games between both clubs.
Miami Marlins
On January 25, 2018, the Brewers traded Harrison,
Isan Díaz,
Lewis Brinson
Lewis Lamont Brinson (born May 8, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins ...
, and
Jordan Yamamoto
Jordan Yamamoto (born May 11, 1996) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins and New York Mets.
Early life
Yamamoto was born on Oahu to Larry, a diesel mechanic, and Cand ...
to the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
for
Christian Yelich
Christian Stephen Yelich (born December 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins selected Yelich in the first r ...
.
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
ranked Harrison as Miami's second best prospect going into the 2018 season. In 2018, Harrison spent the season with the
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...
, hitting .240 with 19 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases in 136 games. After the season, The Marlins added Harrison to their
40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...
. In 2019, Harrison opened with the
New Orleans Baby Cakes
The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a sub ...
. He was named to the 2019
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...
. Over 56 games with New Orleans, he batted .274 with nine home runs, 24 RBIs, and twenty stolen bases.
Harrison was promoted to the major leagues on August 3, 2020, and made his MLB debut the next day. In 32 games for Miami, he hit .170 with one home run and three runs batted in. Harrison also made his
postseason
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
debut that year with the Marlins against the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
in the
2020 National League Wild Card Series
The 2020 National League Wild Card Series were four best-of-three-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine participating teams in the 2020 National League Division Series. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MLB expanded the postsea ...
, where he pinch-ran and had one stolen base.
To begin the
2021 MLB season, Harrison was placed at the Marlins alternate training site. On April 30, Harrison was called up by the Marlins. Harrison went 1-for-5 in three games for the Marlins before being sent down on May 4 to
Triple-A Jacksonville.
On March 18, 2022, Harrison was designated for assignment by Miami. He was released by the team on March 26.
Los Angeles Angels
On April 5, 2022, Harrison signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
organization. He was promoted to the major league roster on June 24 after
Juan Lagares
Juan Osvaldo Lagares (born March 17, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels, and in the KBO League for the SSG Land ...
was designated for assignment. On July 13, the Angels designated Harrison for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A
Salt Lake Bees
The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...
on July 18. On October 12, Harrison elected free agency.
Milwaukee Brewers (second stint)
On January 30, 2023, Harrison signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
organization. In 88 games for the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
, he batted .208/.277/.316 with 5 home runs, 23 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. On September 24, Harrison was released by Milwaukee.
Personal
His brother,
Shaquille Harrison
Shaquille Harrison (born October 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball, Tulsa Go ...
, is a professional basketball player in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. Harrison's father, Jack, died due to a heart attack when he was in first grade.
References
External links
Nebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Monte
1995 births
Living people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American baseball players
Arizona League Brewers players
Baseball players from Missouri
Carolina Mudcats players
Criollos de Caguas players
Helena Brewers players
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players
Jupiter Hammerheads players
Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders
Los Angeles Angels players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Miami Marlins players
Nashville Sounds players
New Orleans Baby Cakes players
People from Lee's Summit, Missouri
Players of American football from Missouri
Salt Lake Bees players
Salt River Rafters players
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players