Braves Young Star Opens Grapefruit League Play With First Pitch Bomb

If you ask the rest of the league, the Atlanta Braves are already good.
Atlanta’s MLB roster appears unfair, as it returns almost all of the roster that hit an MLB-record-tying 307 home runs last season and adds MLB’s career strikeout rate leader, Chris Sale, to a rotation that includes MLB’s single-season strikeout leader last season, Spencer Strider, and 2022’s NL Cy Young runner-up, Max Fried.But if Michael Harris II gets his way, it will be considerably more deadly by 2024.

The teenage centerfielder began Atlanta’s Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday with a home run to right field on the opening pitch of the game off Tampa Bay non-roster invitee Nathan Wiles.
Harris, one of only three lineup regulars who made the journey to Port Charlotte, batted leadoff and completed the game 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI before being replaced by offseason trade addition J.P. Martínez in center field.

Marcell Ozuna (first base) was 1-2 with a walk and a strikeout, while Jarred Kelenic was 0-3 with a strikeout. Atlanta withstood off late rallies by Tampa Bay’s reserves, who scored single runs in the fourth through eighth innings, to win 6-5.
As Atlanta approaches Opening Day, concerns remain regarding what to anticipate from Harris in 2024. He spent two relatively complete seasons in the majors, batting.293 and.297 with 37 home runs and 40 stolen bases in his first 252 regular season games.
Is he resuming his position as the league’s greatest #9 hitter? Harris has 152 career games at the bottom of the order and a batting average that is ludicrous.302/.336/.510, including 25 home runs and 23 stolen bases. There is an argument that if he wants to bat there, he should stay there and allow familiarity and comfort breed productivity.
Or does Atlanta move him up the lineup? Batting Harris in the #2 spot would result in about 100 more plate appearances per season than leaving him in ninth. Despite a career walk rate of 4.7%, lower than the MLB average of 8.4%, his speed and skill on the basepaths (96th percentile “Baserunning Run Value” in 2023, per Statcast) make him a threat behind Ronald Acuña Jr and could further supercharge an offense that hit a new level with Matt Olson moved to cleanup last June.

In any case, I’m on record as forecasting a breakout season for Harris, including not only his first career All-Star selection, but also a 25/25 season and a Gold Glove finish.