Weekly Preview (May 25-30): Michael Harris Leads Trending Prospects
You’re reading a Braves prospects newsletter, so by now you’re well aware of the Michael Harris hype. He came into spring training this year with the spotlight that often accompanies one or two prospects each spring, and he backed it up with strong performances, including showcasing varying tools like power and speed.
The ability to show multiple tools over the course of each game is what continues to separate Harris from others at his age and level, especially as we gain more knowledge on him and finally get to watch him on-field for an extended period of time. His advanced feel to hit at 20 years old is showing early in the numbers at High-A Rome.
I will have a detailed, updated scouting report on Harris very soon. For now, we’ll take a look at the performance along with other Braves prospects who are trending in the right direction over the first month of the season.
Harris enters this week third in High-A East with a .359 average, and the triple slash is .359/.382/.531. He’s had some early aggressiveness at the plate and will occasionally press and chase, hence the three walks in 68 plate appearances. But the high average and early signs of consistently tapping into his developing power are products of his advanced ability to make impact contact at a high rate.
Harris is spraying the ball around the field with impact line drives for lots of doubles and will occasionally pop one over the fence. I expect him to settle in discipline-wise as the season progresses and see the walk rate increase some. I’m already getting questions about when Harris could get promoted to Double-A Mississippi. I expect it to happen at some point this season for sure, but guessing an exact date is impossible. Maybe halfway through the season or so.
Another high-average bat at Rome belongs to Cody Milligan, who is slashing .340/.377/.426. He also only has three walks but is making tons of contact around the field, mostly finding holes. Milligan is a middle-infield slasher who relies on high contact rates and finding gaps while stealing some bases. I see him as an up/down depth piece who could carve out a consistent Triple-A career.
Rome’s pitching staff leads High-A East with a 2.83 ERA. That is bound to regress some, because they also lead the league in walks and are middle of the pack in hits allowed and strikeouts. But four relievers – Coleman Huntley, Kasey Kalich, Gabriel Noguera and Indigo Diaz – have combined to allow one earned run in 38.2 innings. And Ricky DeVito, Bryce Elder and Tanner Gordon have been solid in the rotation.
It’s no secret what Tucker Davidson is doing at Triple-A Gwinnett. It earned him a spot start in Atlanta recently, and he performed well there, too. The 25-year-old lefty has allowed two runs in 20 innings, totaling four walks to 23 strikeouts.
Davidson’s performance isn’t a mirage. The stuff has been lively so far, ramping up to 95 with life up in the zone combined with a sharper slider and the usual deep curve. His overall projection hasn’t changed for me, but it’s great to see him performing at Triple-A.
We all know what Orlando Arcia has been doing at Gwinnett, but Drew Waters has come on strong recently, including a brief tear when he was hitting everything with authority. At one point May 18-19, he had seven hits in the two games, including three home runs and five RBIs. He has cooled off some since, but Waters is holding his own at the highest level of the minors, albeit in a streaky way.
Double-A Mississippi has faced an onslaught of impressive pitching over the first month, so it’s not a total surprise to see lower offensive numbers. The pitching staff has been strong, including names like Troy Bacon, Brandon White, Brooks Wilson, Luis Mora, Josh Graham and Sean McLaughlin with good ERAs in the bullpen. Matt Withrow has been steady in the rotation, while Victor Vodnik has impressed with excellent stuff (mid-90s up to 98 with a power changeup) and a 2.57 ERA.
For Low-A Augusta, Drew Campbell has looked really good at the plate, but the injury bug has hit a couple times already. He’s hitting .321/.387/.643, including an impressive oppo shot the other day to draw my attention. I will focus on him more once he’s back on the field. Willie Carter is hitting .300/.453/.460 with tank-job home runs and 14 walks in 15 games, proving he needs to move up and get a better challenge. Vaughn Grissom hasn’t hit for power yet, but he’s looking comfortable in the box for his first taste of full-season ball, hitting .293/.375/.317. I like his hit projection.
Spencer Strider has been the most noteworthy pitcher in the system so far, racking up 17 strikeouts over 6.2 hitless innings and hitting 100 multiple times. He should move out of Augusta pretty soon. Darius Vines doesn’t have eye-popping stuff, but it plays up because of spin and has helped produce a 0.75 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. Ben Thompson has been impressive in relief, touching 95 with sink and adding a couple decent off-speed pitches. Joey Estes and Alec Barger are a couple power arms with relief futures who have performed well. Justin Yeager is racking up the strikeouts (14 in 6.2 innings) and has touched 97 in relief.
Schedule
Triple-A Gwinnett
May 25-30: vs. Memphis (Cardinals)
May 25-28 at 7:05 p.m., May 29 at 6:05, May 30 at 1:05
Double-A Mississippi
May 25-30: vs. Montgomery (Rays)
May 25-28 at 7:35 p.m. EDT, May 29-30 at 7:05
High-A Rome
May 25-30: vs. Greenville (Red Sox)
May 25-28 at 7 p.m., May 29 at 6, May 30 at 2
Low-A Augusta
May 25-30: at Columbia (Royals)
May 25-28 at 7:05 p.m., May 29 at 6:35, May 30 at 5:05
Prospects to Watch This Week
At Triple-A Gwinnett, we’ll see if Drew Waters can keep his hot streak going after a brief slide the past couple days. He’s hitting .267/.362/.483 with four doubles, three homers and five stolen bases, a solid 15-game start to what is an important Triple-A season. At High-A Rome, Jared Shuster has made just one start back on May 7 but is scheduled to start again Tuesday. His first appearance was a mix of excellent secondaries and a fringy fastball. At Low-A Augusta, the spotlight is on whatever night Spencer Strider pitches again, but it’s also worth watching the progression of Roddery Munoz among others on Augusta’s staff.
Recent Prospect Performances
Triple-A Gwinnett
Tucker Davidson: 6 IP, H, R/ER, BB, 9 K (5/23)
Daysbel Hernandez: 1.2 IP, H, K (5/21)
Thomas Burrows: 3 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 6 K (5/20)
Double-A Mississippi
C.J. Alexander: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB (5/23)
C.J. Alexander: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI (5/22)
Victor Vodnik: 6.2 IP, 4 H, R/ER, BB, 6 K (5/21)
Justin Dean: 1-3, 2 SB (5/20)
Justin Dean: 1-2, BB, SB (5/20)
Greyson Jenista: 1-2, HR, 2 RBI (5/20)
High-A Rome
Jesse Franklin: 4-4, 2 2B, RBI, SB (5/23)
Coleman Huntley: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K (5/22)
Kasey Kalich: 2 IP, BB (5/22)
Bryce Elder: 6.1 IP, 5 H, R/ER, 7 K (5/21)
Michael Harris: 2-4, 2B, RBI (5/20)
Trey Riley: 3 IP, 6 K (5/20)
Indigo Diaz: 2 IP, 4 K (5/20)
Low-A Augusta
Vaughn Grissom: 2-4, RBI (5/23)
Cam Shepherd: 1-2, 2B, BB (5/23)
Alec Barger: 5 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K (5/23)
Willie Carter: 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, SB (5/22)
Brandon Parker: 1-3, HR, BB (5/22)
Darius Vines: 3 IP, 4 H, R/ER, BB, 5 K (5/22)
Roddery Munoz: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 7 K (5/21)
Joey Estes: 5 IP, 3 H, R, 8 K (5/20)
Justin Yeager: 1 IP, H, 3 K (5/20)
Transactions
5/23: RHP Tanner Roark assigned to Triple-A
5/23: RHP Bryse Wilson optioned to Triple-A
5/23: RHP Jay Flaa recalled to Atlanta
5/23: C Mitch Calandra activated at High-A
5/23: IF Riley Delgado placed on 7-day IL at High-A
5/22: RHP Shane Greene activated at Triple-A
5/22: RHP Jacob Webb optioned to Triple-A
5/22: RHP Bryse Wilson recalled to Atlanta
5/22: LHP Jake McSteen assigned to High-A
5/22: LHP Tanner Lawson placed on 7-day IL at High-A
5/21: C Alex Jackson on rehab assignment at Triple-A
5/20: UTL Johan Camargo optioned to Triple-A
5/20: C Jeff Mathis outrighted to Triple-A
5/19: OF Drew Campbell activated from IL at Low-A
5/19: RHP Alger Hodgson placed on 7-day IL at Low-A
5/19: LHP Tucker Davidson optioned to Triple-A
5/18: INF Riley Unroe assigned to Double-A
5/18: RHP A.J. Puckett assigned to Double-A
5/18: RHP Emmanuel Perez assigned to Double-A
5/18: LHP Mitch Stallings assigned to High-A
5/18: RHP Miguel Pena assigned to Low-A
5/18: RHP Chad Bryant placed on 7-day IL at Low-A
5/17: LHP Tucker Davidson recalled to Atlanta
5/17: UTL Johan Camargo recalled to Atlanta
5/17: RHP Edgar Santana recalled to Atlanta