Michael Machion Harris II (born March 7, 2001) 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 ...

for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

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). He was drafted by the Braves in the third round of the

2019 MLB draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 2022, and won the

National League Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

Early life and amateur career

Michael Harris II was born to Michael Harris Sr. and Dr. LaTaucha Harris. His mother worked for the

Fulton County School System The Fulton County School System is a school district headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. The system serves the area of Fulton County outside the Atlanta city limits (which are served by Atlanta Public Schools). Fulton County ...

and his father played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Alcorn State Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. ...

. He has a sister, Mikaylah. Harris grew up near

Turner Field Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...

and wanted to play for the

since he was a young child. Harris spent his childhood in

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb **DeKal ...

and

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

counties before attending

Stockbridge High School Stockbridge High School is a high school located in Stockbridge, Georgia, United States, in the Henry County School District. It enrolls around 1,800 students in grades 9–12. Principals * Coy Pridmore, 1964-1983 * Sam Floyd, 1984-1987 * Gary B ...

Stockbridge, Georgia Stockbridge is a city in Henry County, Georgia, Henry County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the population was 25,637, up from 9,853 in 2000. Stockbridge is part of the Atlanta metr ...

. As a high schooler, he was coached by family friend

Marquis Grissom Marquis Deon Grissom (born April 17, 1967) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

in summer leagues and received further training from Grissom during the offseasons. He was drafted by the

in the third round of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...

. He signed with the Braves for a bonus of $548,000, forgoing his commitment to play

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

, as well as a desire to attend veterinary school. Prior to considering Texas Tech, Harris had been recruited by the

Louisiana State Tigers baseball The LSU Tigers baseball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. It ranks seventh overall with 18 College World Series appeara ...

team solely as a pitcher.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Harris started his professional career that year with the

Gulf Coast Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

before being promoted to the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

. Over 53 games between the two teams, he batted .277/.344/.393 with two home runs and 27 runs batted in. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he did not play for a team. In 2021, the Braves invited him to their spring training. He spent the 2021 season with the

, slashing .294/.362/.436 with seven home runs, 64 runs batted in, and 27 stolen bases. In June, he was selected to play in the

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 ...

. Harris was again invited to spring training by the Braves in 2022. He was assigned to the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...

to begin the 2022 season, slashing .305/.372/.506 with five home runs, 33 runs batted in, and 11 stolen bases in 43 games before being called up to the major leagues. During the 2022 season, Harris was ranked the 63rd-best prospect in all of Minor League Baseball, and the Braves' best prospect.

Atlanta Braves

On May 28, 2022, Harris was selected to the major league roster, and he made his debut later that day against 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 ...

. Harris struck out in his first major league at-bat, and later on in the same game, recorded his first hit, a single, and scored his first run. While facing the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

on May 31, Harris drove in his first career run. Harris hit his first career home run against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

on June 13. During the month of June, Harris had a .347/.371/.574

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an e ...

. Of his 35 hits, 13 were extra base hits. He also drove in 16 runs, stole four bases, and won the Rookie of the Month Award. On August 17, the Braves and Harris agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth at least $72 million. As the season continued, Harris, teammate

Spencer Strider Spencer Robert Strider (born October 28, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Clemson Tigers baseball, Clemson Tigers, and was drafted by the A ...

, and the Braves' later call-up

Vaughn Grissom Vaughn Anthony Grissom (born January 5, 2001) is an American professional baseball short stop for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Braves in the 11th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He made ...

were considered possible National League Rookie of the Year candidates. Harris was again named Rookie of the Month for August, posting a .337/.400/.590 slash line. Sixteen of his rookie-leading 32 hits during the month were for extra bases. In September, Harris was recognized as Rookie of the Month for the third time, having batted .324 with six home runs and 19 RBIs. Harris won his fourth Rookie of the Month award in September, with six home runs, 19 RBIs, five doubles and four stolen bases and a .324 batting average. On November 14, Harris was named the 2022

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

, finishing ahead of teammate Spencer Strider. Harris and Strider were the second pair of Braves to finish first and second for the award, following

Craig Kimbrel Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicag ...

and

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is an American-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Freeman played for the Atlanta Braves for 12 seasons. He mad ...

in 2011. Harris dedicated the award to Marquis Grissom, his youth baseball tutor, with whom he had continued working during the offseasons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris II, Michael 2001 births Living people Sportspeople from DeKalb County, Georgia Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) African-American baseball players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Atlanta Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Rome Braves players Mississippi Braves players 21st-century African-American sportspeople