{"id":98409,"date":"2025-09-25T11:17:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T11:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:17:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T11:17:20","slug":"michael-harris-ii-finding-new-surge-as-braves-season-winds-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409","title":{"rendered":"Michael Harris II Finding New Surge as Braves Season Winds Down"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

It can be feast or famine at times for Michael Harris II, but he\u2019s managing to finish the season on a high note. Over his last 11 games, the Atlanta Braves centerfielder has turned the corner once again.<\/p>\n

During that span, he’s batting .340 with two home runs and six RBIs. He’s back to looking like one of the top hitters in the game once more.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a full bounce-back from the 1-for-34 streak he was on in the previous 10 games. It isn\u2019t ideal that he can look so good and then dry up as much as he does. However, to his credit, he\u2019s on the upswing much quicker.<\/p>\n

The roller-coaster season can still see him finish with some respectable numbers. He can still finish with 20 home runs and reach 90 RBIs if he can keep this up for one more weekend.<\/p>\n

When the season comes to an end, he\u2019ll at least be able to say he turned the corner and returned to be a key bat in the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t have to be [at] 30 [home runs] and 100 [RBIs] every year to be a winning player,\u201d manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday night. \u201cNo, he could be a part of a really good lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no arguing that Harris has a ways to go in his development, even as an established, everyday ballplayer. Plate discipline could still be better. The walk rate of 2.6% this season needs to improve. We know it can be better. Normally, he\u2019s drawing a free pass at a rate of over 4.5%.<\/p>\n

His strikeout rate remained comparable to last season. He just bit more at pitches that drew weak contact, whether it be popping one up to second base or rolling over a pitch for a ground out.<\/p>\n

The change in the stance was a good start. Harris is bringing his hands to the ball quicker. If his pitch selection gets back to where it was in seasons past, he could be the lethal ballplayer we\u2019ve seen him be consistently.<\/p>\n

It will make for a perfect complement to the high-caliber defense he puts on display day in and day out at the centerfield position. It made him a top player at that position in the game before. An improved bat could rocket him higher up the list.<\/p>\n

Health was also a non-issue this season, meaning he had the chance to work through these troubles instead of sitting out for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

As the season winds down, it\u2019s worth remembering that next year will only be Harris\u2019 age-25 season. You could argue that he\u2019s not even in his prime years yet, and he\u2019s ironing out the raw talent he brings to the table.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s learned a lot this season with the highs and lows, and that can be taken into the offseason for preparation for 2026. Having ups and downs will forever be the reality of any ballplayer, but he\u2019s in a position to find more consistency.<\/p>\n

More From Atlanta Braves on SI<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Atlanta Braves center fielder faced another dry spell earlier this month, but he found a way to correct course significantly quicker<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":98410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nMichael Harris II Finding New Surge as Braves Season Winds Down - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michael Harris II Finding New Surge as Braves Season Winds Down - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Atlanta Braves center fielder faced another dry spell earlier this month, but he found a way to correct course significantly quicker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T11:17:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/avtvip-97-3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=98409\",\"name\":\"Michael Harris II Finding New Surge as Braves Season Winds Down - 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