Trey Harris was one of the more exciting bats in the system coming into 2021, but a tough offensive season has his future in doubt. Harris will start 2022 as a 26 year old with no at bats above Double-A and is in need of a resurgence to regain faith in his ability.
Midseason Ranking: 19
Trey Harris’s rise to his current stature has been notable simply from where he was drafted. Harris was a 32nd round pick out of the University of Missouri, but quickly hit his way onto top prospect lists. Harris ranked 19th on the Talking Chop midseason list.
2021 stats
Double-A - 96 games, .247/.317/.354, 8 HR, 4 SB, 50 RBI, 89 wRC+
What we saw in 2021
Trey Harris was a pick for many to be one of the breakout candidates in the system in 2021, but a hot streak at the plate never materialized and he ended the season with his worst performance at any professional level. Some of this is a pure turn of luck, as despite no significant shift in his batted ball profile that would indicate so he posted a BABIP well below any level he had previously played at which certainly deflated his numbers. Playing in an offense-suppressing home ballpark didn’t help either, but was compounded by a drop in fly ball rate that cut into his power production. There were certainly positive signs like a 17.8% strikeout rate that was significantly better than league average, but overall his performance this season raised concerns about whether he will have a role with the Braves in the future. Harris is going to be stuck in left field at the major league level, so he will have to hit in order to make a spot for himself. He is an aggressive hitter as well, so he will need to bump his batting average and hit for consistent power in order to get around his likely on base deficiencies. Harris is still one of the better offensive prospects in the system, and has the raw power and hitting ability to stick in a corner as an average regular if he reaches his potential.
Outlook for 2022
Harris’s stock this season has definitely taken a hit and he’s likely to find himself more on the back end of Top 30 lists. He’s certainly one of the top 30 guys, but this season felt like we were waiting on that switch to flip and him to go on a run and it never happened. Should he make it to the major leagues his most likely role is that of a fourth outfielder/bench bat. He has the raw power to provide a spark off of the bench, and while aggressive is less prone than other players at this level to give away at bats to a poor approach.