After Harris posted a 1.213 OPS at St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC in 2019, he signed with the Athletics for an over-slot $250,000 in the 11th round and raked in his pro debut. The Rangers acquired him as the player to be named in a trade for Mike Minor in September 2020, then he batted .327 with 20 homers and 25 steals in his first taste of full-season ball. His numbers haven't been as gaudy the last three years in Double-A and Triple-A, though he did make his big league debut in September and homered on the last day of the season.
Harris looked like he might become a plus hitter with solid power during his 2021 breakout, but that profile has backed up a bit. He's still exhibiting feel for the barrel and a patient approach, so he should hit for average and draw some walks. While the left-handed hitter has focused more on launching balls to his pull side in recent years, he's not hitting the ball as hard as he did previously and looks unable to produce the desired pop to be an everyday player on a corner for a contending team.
Harris has average speed out of the batter's box but is quicker under way and has the basestealing instincts to swipe 120 bases in 142 attempts (85 percent) in his first four years in the system. Originally signed as a first baseman, he's deceptively athletic and spent the majority of 2024 in center field while also seeing time in left field as well as third base and first. He got the job done in center, but his range is stretched there and his fringy arm is too light for third base, so he fits bets as an average defender in left or a solid glove at first base.
Harris slashed .409/.496/.717 at St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC in 2019, then gave up a Florida Atlantic scholarship to sign with the Athletics for an over-slot $250,000 bonus in the 11th round. He raked in his pro debut before Oakland shipped him to Texas in September 2020 as the player to be named in a deal for Mike Minor, and he quickly became one of the best all-around hitters in the Rangers' system. Before a sprained wrist cost him the final six weeks of last season in Double-A, he was on pace to record back-to-back 20-homer, 25-steal years.
Harris always had demonstrated advanced feel for the barrel and the strike zone, and the Rangers helped him make adjustments to drive the ball in the air more consistently. He does get overly aggressive about trying to pull and launch pitches at times, but he also shows the ability to self-correct. He makes a lot of hard contact from the left side of the plate and should hit for power and average.
Signed as a first baseman, Harris has some deceptive speed and athleticism. He's an average runner who's quicker once he gets going and used his instincts to swipe 44 bases in 51 tries in his first two years as a Ranger. He spent 2021 playing both infield corners before becoming primarily a left fielder last season, showing fringy to average range and arm strength there.
After Harris batted .409/.496/.717 at St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC in 2019, the Athletics paid him an over-slot $250,000 bonus in the 11th round to lure him away from a Florida Atlantic scholarship. He since has blossomed into one of the better young hitters in the Minors, and the Rangers are reaping the benefits after grabbing him in September 2020 as the player to be named in a trade for Mike Minor. In his first season in his new organization, he hit .327/.401/.542 with 20 homers and 25 steals in 110 games while reaching High-A.
With advanced feel for the barrel and mastery of the strike zone, Harris repeatedly delivers hard contact from the left side of the plate. After he employed a pull-heavy approach that yielded a lot of grounders in his first pro summer in the Oakland system, Texas coaches helped him make adjustments so he could launch more balls in the air, and he did a better job of driving the ball from gap to gap last season. He's also deceptively fast, flashing plus speed at times and showing aptitude for stealing bases.
The Rangers believe Harris is athletic enough to handle all four infield and outfield corners. Primarily a first baseman in his first two pro seasons, he saw some action at third base last summer and could get the job done at the hot corner if he improved his lateral movement. He moved to left field in 2022 and shows the quickness to be an average defender with arm strength to match.
Harris led St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC in hitting in each of his two seasons in junior college, batting .409/.496/.717 as a sophomore in 2019. The Athletics gave him an over-slot $250,000 bonus in the 11th round that June to divert him from transferring to Florida Atlantic, then dealt him to the Rangers in September 2020 as the player to be named in a trade for Mike Minor. He has emerged as one of the better hitters in the system this year, and Texas believes he may have some untapped power and defensive versatility.
Harris has tremendous feel for the barrel and controls the strike zone extremely well, producing repeated hard contact from the left side of the plate. The Rangers have worked to help him launch more balls in the air after he produced just one homer in his 58-game pro debut with the A's, and his adjustments began to click this July. He has deceptive speed, flashing plus run times and showing a knack for stealing bases.
Though Harris has played primarily first base in his first two pro seasons, Texas thinks he's capable of playing on all four corners. He has seen some action at third base and will get more there in the future as he continues to work on his lateral agility. With his quickness and average arm, he should be able to handle left and right field as well.
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Player
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
