"The Braves initially drafted Michael Harris II in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. After hitting the ground running in successful fashion for his big league career, Money Mike cashed in during 2022, his debut MLB season, with an eight-year, $72 million contract extension that includes team options for two years at the end of the initial eight-year contract length."
"Expectations for Harris have always been a bit wacky, going all the way back to when prospect evaluators thought he may not be a good defender. Though he had a phenomenal rookie season that culminated in a Rookie of the Year award, putting up 4.7 fWAR in 441 PAs, that came with him outhitting his xwOBA a fair bit. As a result, he seemed worse the following year, despite making huge strides offensively, because he underhit his xwOBA and thus finished with "just" 3.9 fWAR."
Michael Harris II completed his first 20/20 season in 2025 after three prior big-league seasons spent knocking on that mark. The Braves drafted him in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he signed an eight-year, $72 million extension following his 2022 debut season. Early scouting carried doubts about his defense. Harris produced a 4.7 fWAR rookie year in 441 PAs but outhit his xwOBA, then produced 3.9 fWAR in 2023 while underhitting xwOBA despite offensive growth. In 2024 he registered a 99 wRC+ and 2.0 fWAR in 470 PAs after massively underhitting xwOBA. ZiPS projected roughly 5 WAR entering 2025.
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