Welcome back to the Braves Beat newsletter. ATLANTA -- Michael Harris II’s first few months of fatherhood have been paved by the unselfish love his mother and father provided him while growing up in the Atlanta area. “I’m just kind of following in their footsteps,” Harris said. “I feel like they raised me to be a good man. It’s early. Our son isn’t even crawling yet. But I just want to be there for all those moments and milestones.” This year’s Father’s Day will be a special one for the Harris family. The Braves' center fielder and his wife Esther welcomed their first child, Michael Harris III (Trip), to the world in April. “It's pretty cool being a parent,” Harris said. “I guess you can't really prepare for what it’s actually going to be like, but my first couple months have been pretty exciting.” |
Trip’s arrival certainly strengthened the belief in Dad Strength, a term often used when a new father improves his power numbers over the days and weeks following the birth of his latest child. Harris has hit .325 with 12 homers and a .911 OPS over the 54 games he has played since becoming a father. His production has created the possibility that Trip could be joining his father at this year’s All-Star Game. When the first All-Star ballot update was announced earlier this week, Harris ranked fourth among NL outfielders. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year is bidding for his first All-Star selection. |
At the same time, he’s savoring his first chance to be a parent. A Major League baseball player’s responsibilities require him to be away from family on a consistent basis. Teams usually have at least two road trips every month. But players often spend at least eight hours of the day at the stadium during homestands. “Whenever I come back home, I’m always excited to see him, even though he’s usually about to go to sleep or has already gone to sleep," said Harris. "I try to get as much time that night and handle whatever I can in the morning. You just want to do what spend as much time as you can with him.” Fortunately, Harris can continue to lean on his parents, Michael and LaTaucha, both of whom are present for most of Atlanta’s home games. The eldest of the Harris men will also have extra reason to celebrate on Sunday, when he experiences his first Father’s Day as a grandfather. “He's put me in a good position to be successful in life and show me what it's like to be a good person, have good character and always to treat everybody with respect,” Harris said. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Harris were all positioned to advance to the next round of balloting when the first All-Star ballot update was released this week. Baldwin sat first among NL catchers and drew the second-highest vote total among all NL players. Albies sat atop the list of second basemen. Olson entered Wednesday leading all NL first baseman in home runs, OPS and fWAR. But the first ballot update had him in second place, behind Freddie Freeman. Acuña has always been a fan favorite. So, it’s not surprising that he still ranks second among NL outfielders during what has been an injury-plagued down season. Harris ranked fourth, approximately 33,000 votes behind Brandon Marsh. As Phase 1 continues until June 25 at noon ET, you can vote as many as five times per every 24-hour period exclusively at MLB.com, on all 30 MLB club sites and on the MLB app. |
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Chris Sale has a 2.30 ERA through his first 13 starts. Who holds the Braves' record for the lowest ERA (min. 20 start) during an age-37 season? A. Phil Niekro B. John Smoltz C. Charlie Morton D. Warren Spahn |
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INJURIES WILL INFLUENCE DEADLINE DECISIONS |
There’s at least a chance Spencer Strider pitches again this season. But even if he is activated from the injured list this year, it’s hard to predict how he would fare as either a starter or a reliever. As for Spencer Schwellenbach, things seem to be progressing well for him since he was given clearance to begin throwing again a few weeks ago. But Schwellenbach is still a few weeks from going to Florida to begin accelerating his rehab and recovery process. So, we likely wouldn’t see Schwellenbach as a member of Atlanta’s pitching staff before the middle of August. Would he be a great addition? Possibly. But he missed last season’s final three months with a fractured elbow and then had bone spurs removed from the same elbow in March. So, the Braves won’t know exactly what to expect from Schwellenbach before the Trade Deadline passes on Aug. 3. Do they need to acquire two more starters? Maybe. But what Hurston Waldrep and Owen Murphy do at the Triple-A level over the next few weeks could determine the level of need. |
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D. Spahn A 42-year-old Spahn posted a 2.60 ERA over 33 starts in 1963. Niekro ranks second with the 2.88 ERA he posted over 42 starts during his 39-year-old season in 1978. |
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