Hayden Harris

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #22 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Harris went undrafted in 2022 after a four-year career with Georgia Southern, where he pitched out of the bullpen and finished his career with a 5.30 ERA. The Braves signed him as an undrafted free agent, and in his first full season he progressed three levels, from High-A Augusta to Double-A Mississippi, struck out 36.8% of batters and posted a 3.08 FIP--which was the lowest of any pitcher in the organization with at least 40 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Harris is a straight reliever with an average, 6-foot, 186-pound frame. He works from the stretch and throws from a lower, three-quarters arm slot, which paired with his drop-and-drive action creates a uniquely low attack angle for hitters to deal with. Harris averaged just 91-92 mph with his fastball and touched 93, but it’s an extremely flat pitch with a shallow approach angle that played well above its velocity and generated a well above-average 39% miss rate. He showed great feel to land the pitch and threw it for strikes at a 70% clip, which helped him post a solid 9.7% walk rate. While Harris uses the fastball around 75% of the time, he also has an average, 82-85 mph slider with occasional hard-biting action.
  
  The Future: Harris has perhaps already exceeded expectations as an NDFA, but he has a chance to provide big league value out of the bullpen thanks to his unique release traits and fastball command.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Control: 50