Michael Harris was being wrote off by so many for his horrendous slump. After the All-Star break, Harris has took off and the difference is from a Braves legend.
Braves' 8-time All-Star legend, World Series Champion behind Michael Harris' hitting resurgence originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Atlanta Braves are having a surprisingly poor season—one that quite literally no one saw coming. Playoff expectations were sky-high at the beginning of the year, but their 0–7 start should have been an early warning sign. With continued poor performance and manager Brian Snitker’s contract nearing its end, it's increasingly likely he won’t be re-signed.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he's already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
While the Braves have shown signs of improvement recently, the clear standout has been Michael Harris II. That’s remarkable, considering the deep slump he endured earlier in the season—a stretch so baffling, even Harris didn’t understand it.
“I've had times in the past where I was struggling, but came out of a little quicker than right now,” Harris said. “So yeah, us losing and being in this situation isn't the best. But, still got three months left.”
What turned things around? One small change in his swing—thanks to Braves legend Chipper Jones. That tweak has ignited Harris’s bat.
“Chipper told me it’s better to swing up to down than down to up, so being up there is a good thing. And I feel like everything’s been a lot cleaner since then and I haven’t had to think as much,” Harris said. “We were trying to find something and trying to get those hands in the right spot. And ultimately it came down to me just saying, all right, I’m just going to raise them up. It can’t hurt. I was doing it my whole life, so if I made the change to moving down after getting called up, why not be able to go back up now?”
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Since making the adjustment, Harris has moved up in the lineup and is now batting fifth. At the moment, he’s undoubtedly the Braves’ most reliable hitter. Chipper Jones deserves full credit for helping turn Harris into an offensive force.
Category: Baseball
