It took a painfully long time, but here we are! Michael Harris II has finally made a necessary adjustment at the plate, and it is paying out in dividends. After taking four of five at home from the Miami Marlins over the weekend, Harris has 14 extra-base hits over his last 17 games dating back to July 25. This is the best mark in the National League, as he is hitting a blistering .391 over that span.
David O'Brien of The Athletic went into great detail to explain why Harris' bat has been red hot of late. He attributes this to Harris' hand placement. Prior to being called up by the Atlanta Braves in 2022, Harris had kept his hands around his ear-level. It must have been the allure of what Ronald Acuña Jr. did at the plate from the right-hand side. Harris was the sincerest form of flattery trying to imitate him.
No, it did not work for the better part of the last three seasons. His approach at the plate was atrocious, hitting right around The Mendoza Line for the better part of the campaign. Harris has been healthy this season, continuing to play great defense in centerfield. However, a refined approach at the plate in terms of his overall hand placement has him hitting a fair .241/.264/.349 on the season.
I do not know how much credit hitting coach Tim Hyers gets for this, but we are seeing real progress.
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Michael Harris II's new batting stance is saving his Atlanta Braves career
This kind of stuff can drive me crazy. While hitting a baseball remains the hardest thing to do in sports, it is hard to help someone when they do not want to help themselves. Just because an idol or a teammate stands a certain way at the plate does not mean you should do it. I loved to pump the bat like Gary Sheffield did at times growing up, but that never worked for me. A closed batting stance did!
While Harris certainly checks the box of a Braves' hometown hero, good and bad, I am truly thrilled that he is willing to make adjustments at the plate Jeff Francoeur and Jason Heyward never honestly wanted to. For Harris, it should be all about having a quick swing to the plate. By dropping his hands down by his chest, it slowed down his entire swing. He was almost always late to the baseball with it.
Now that he has been humbled and is going with a stance with his bat near ear-level, now we are talking! Regardless of where you start in your approach at the plate, every hitter who is worth a damn arrives at the same point when the pitch is coming before they attempt to make contact. It is all about feel and confidence at the plate. However, simpler swings tend to have the easiest methods of fixing.
If Harris continues to swing like this for the rest of the year, then it is only great news for next season.