For Many Reasons, Believe Hype Around Atlanta Braves Rookie Center Fielder Michael Harris

At 21 years, three months and 21 days old, Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris is the youngest player in Major League Baseball. He stays grounded in the present just fine, thank you (see his .330 batting average, Gold Glove defense and flawless work on the bases). Nevertheless, he floats in midair with his dreams since he sees an open sky regarding his future in the game.

Good.

“Yeah, I feel like trying to become the best, that’s pretty much everybody’s plan. They want to be the best. They want to leave behind a great legacy,” Harris said, delivering his heavy words in soft tones between smiles at his locker in the Braves’ home clubhouse at Truist Park.

Harris is an African American who grew up 40 miles away in Stockbridge, Georgia hugging the Braves of African American players such as Jason Heyward and the Upton brothers (B.J. and Justin). He thought about his legacy in conjunction to the number of African American players in the Major Leagues plunging from a high of around 25% during the mid-1970s to 7% these days.

Then Harris added, “I definitely want to (become a prominent player) — one for my family, and two for African Americans, to get them back in the game, to get the percentage of (African Americans ) back to where it used to be or even higher.”

Did I say good?

Actually, Harris’ mindset is great — as in the way he has performed on and off the diamond for the franchise Forbes ranks 10th in MLB team evaluations at $2.1 billion in a northern Atlanta suburb, where he joined the Braves 28 games ago in late May from their Double-A team in Pearl, Mississippi.

This isn’t a coincidence: Since Harris’ promotion, the Braves have sizzled more than any of their peers. They’ve gone from 23-27 and 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets in the National League East to 42-32 and five games out.

Which goes back to Harris, the Braves’ 6-foot spark plug of 195 pounds. He has a slew of colorful headbands to keep sweat from pouring into his eyes. As a result, he can see his way toward resembling Willie Mays (or at least Braves perennial Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones) enough on catches in center to become a regular on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.

Harris also has unleashed Roberto Clemente-like throws, and he has been Tony Gwynn as a left-handed hitter who rips pitches from righties or lefties toward every section of ballparks.

Didn’t Rickey Henderson run like this?

Through it all, with Harris owning the personality of somebody you’d love as a son or a brother — well, to hear his teammates tell it, along with others who have spent any time with the actual son of Michael Sr. and LaTaucha Harris — you get the feeling Harris II isn’t overwhelmed by becoming a starter in a hurry for the 2021 World Series champions.

“No. Never, never. No, not at all,” Harris said emphatically, without a hint of doubt or arrogance as his eyes looked straight into those of his questioner. “I feel like my whole life, I’ve been planning to be on the big stage of baseball, the biggest tournaments, the biggest moments.”

Harris burst into a grin before adding, “I literally live for situations like when you come up in the ninth inning with two outs, and you have to get it done. I really look for those situations. I mean, I don’t feel like I get overwhelmed at all. Stay calm, like it’s another day, another game, and then I can succeed.”

You see the results.

So does Braves closer Kenley Jansen, a three-time All-Star during his 13 Major League seasons that involved only the Los Angeles Dodgers before this year.

Jansen nodded toward Harris’ locker on the other side of the clubhouse, and he said with enthusiasm, “You know, to see him walk in, to give respect to all of us who played this game for a long time, and to see how he goes about his business, his focus. He’s locked in every day. He’s always giving 100 percent. That’s what you do to get veteran guys like me to give you that respect.

“It’s awesome to have him on this team.”

Harris is awesome, period.