The reinforcements are here for the Marlins with a mix of prospects and waiver-claimed veterans expected to fill a slew of roster spots after the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. Harrison had spent all Summer Camp with the team and made some noise, enough that it was slightly surprising he wasn’t with the big league team to open the season. Let’s take a look at what awaits us.
The Rankings
Harrison ranks sixth in our Marlins Top 30 list and 73rd in our Fantasy Top 500 list.
The Tools
Hit (30 present/40 future): Let’s address the elephant sitting in the corner of the room first. If Monte Harrison had a 50-grade hit tool, he’d be a top five prospect in baseball. Instead, ever since his days in Milwaukee he’s been an inspiration for wind power plants, swinging and missing a ton. He led MiLB in strikeouts in 2018 and became a boom or bust guy. But a late 2018 stance change gives us a glimmer of hope. He lost his big leg kick, quieted his load and adopted a shorter approach to the ball — all good things you want to see from someone who’s trying to remedy his weakness. He still struck out in 30 percent of his at bats in Triple-A last year, but the hope is he recognizes pitchers’ game plans early and can adjust.
Power (55 game/70 raw): Even without the leg kick, Harrison, who’s built like an NFL player and is widely considered one of the most athletic players in all of baseball, has enough power to drive pitches out with relative ease. He would put on shows in Summer Camp when he rocketed balls out of Marlins Park. His Triple-A Estimated Flyball Distances was 320+ feet according to Minor Graphs. And according to Fangraphs his average exit velocity is 93 mph, which would be top 10 in baseball in 2020. Suffice to say the dude can mash and how much of it he gets into games is dependent on his hit tool.
Defense (60 field/70 throw): Luckily for the Marlins Harrison is not a bat only prospect. In fact, it’s his defense that gives him a chance to be an every day big leaguer even with a 40 hit tool. Harrison takes good routes in the outfield, glides to the ball, and has an absolute cannon for an arm. He can easily stick in centerfield and return positive value, and a move to right field to maximize the arm isn’t a negative either. He’ll slow down a touch over the years but his athleticism should continue to make him a danger to steal a bag for a long time.
Speed (60 present/55 future): Not only does Harrison use his speed effectively in the outfield to maximize his defensive potential, he’s an elite base stealer too. He has an 84% career stolen base rate in the minors and is a threat to run at any point when he gets on base. Check out the wheels in a 2020 spring training game below.
Prediction: The majors is a really hard jump to make. Despite all the optimism and Marlins fandom in me, I think Harrison flails pretty hard in this opening stint. Ideally they stick him in the outfield and let him accrue everyday at bats to garner experience. A worst case outcome is he sees 10 at bats a week and strikes out in five and never gets into a rhythm and bringing to surface once again the Christian Yelich trade. A neutral outcome is a .240/.320/.430 line.
Fantasy Spin: He’s a must add in 12-team leagues and deeper if only to see what happens. Stick him on your bench and if he takes off, you’ve now added a lethal power/speed combo to your team.