One of the biggest question marks in the Atlanta Braves' 2025 dumpster fire of a season was outfielder Michael Harris. For much of the year, the veteran was one of the league's worst hitters, managing only a .210 batting average by the MLB All-Star break and putting together some of the ugliest at-bats fans have endured.
Still, there was reason for hope based on the outfielder's solid career; everything about the struggles screamed outliers, even as painful as they might've been to watch. That set up what was a comeback of a second half that left little reason for angst heading into next season.
Harris turned things around, hitting .299 from July 18 until the end of the season, and it seemed like his bat only grew hotter as time went on. All of this makes it clear that the misery of the first half was an outlier that can be written off as the worst piece of his career. Three previous seasons of production suggest next season is going to reach a higher level of consistency.
Harris remains an incredibly important piece of Atlanta's core and shouldn't be discounted based on the worst months of his career.
Braves Can't Give Up on Michael Harris
With that said, there is actually reason for alarm if the struggles were to shockingly reappear in the first weeks of the 2026 season. Something that seems incredibly unlikely based on the impressive resume that Harris has built. The outfielder is a career .274 hitter who plays an elite brand of defense. Atlanta needs so little from the defender at the plate to justify his spot in the lineup.
Harris simply needs to be consistent more often than not, making it clear that even if his career norms aren't reached in the 2026 season, there is no reason to believe things are going to be as dark as they were in the season's first half. Harris' accolades speak to this, as well as the turnaround in the final months of the season.
For Atlanta, the focus must be on finding a fourth outfielder that the franchise can rely on as a depth option. There is no cause for concern or reason to believe that finding a starting option needs to be among the Braves' offseason priorities. The outfield is one of the few position groups that appears to be in great shape heading into a pivotal offseason.
Harris' confidence should continue to build based on the performance he put on during the latter part of the season, and how important a piece to the franchise he remains. It would be truly shocking to see anything close to this level of struggle anytime soon for a franchise player who simply picked an awful time to have the worst season of his career.
Braves fans should feel confident that what Harris displayed in the second half will be the norm.