Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Possible diamond in the rough prospect emerging on Braves farm

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated 5/8/24

The Braves may not have a lot of position players worth talking about on the farm, but they continue to find gems when it comes to pitchers, and Hayden Harris is one that is starting to turn some heads in AA Mississippi.

The 25-year-old right-hander was undrafted out of college, which is almost unheard of, and ended up signing with the Braves in 2022. Last year, he posted. 2.83 ERA for Mississippi in 23 appearances, punching out 50 batters over just 35 innings. That put him on the radar entering 2024, and he’s been incredible so far this season. In eight appearances (9.2 innings), he’s boasting a 0.93 ERA with 17 strikeouts, giving him a 15.8 K/9.

Hayden Harris closes out the game by going up with the high heat. 3 K, 2 IP, 0 R for Harris. 8 whiffs on his fastball

Harris has a 0.93 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings this season pic.twitter.com/9yVoOv9WXn

— Garrett Spain (@BravesMILB) May 8, 2024

The Braves don’t currently have a pressing need for another reliever. Their bullpen has been fantastic this season, and they have several arms waiting for their opportunity in Gwinnett, like Ken Giles and Daysbel Hernandez. But given Harris’ age, I wouldn’t be shocked if he made his way to AAA soon. From there, anything can happen. Injuries are inevitable, and a team can never have enough high-quality relievers with strikeout stuff.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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