We’ve almost run out of 2025, but we haven’t run out of A’s players to recap. Next up is Brett Harris, whose main achievement so far in life is that he shares a birthday with me (and Lionel Messi, and pretty no one else you’ve ever heard of). In Harris’ case, his last birthday was only his 27th.
Still, this makes Harris old for a prospect, so time is running out on his ability to lay claim to 3B. He will enter spring training undoubtedly with that goal, but with perhaps Max Muncy standing in his way.
Harris was the 7th round pick in the A’s rather fantastic 2021 draft that saw Max Muncy, Zack Gelof, Mason Miller, Denzel Clarke, and Grant Holman selected ahead of him. Battling injuries on and off and not flashing much power, Harris was a slow riser and did not reach the big leagues until he was 26.
What Were The Expectations?
Expectations were pretty measured, as the A’s planned for 3B to be handled by free agent veterans. Gio Urshela and Luis Urias saw time there in the season’s first half, while utility infielders Max Schuemann and Darell Hernaiz were slotted in before Harris, who had debuted batting just .146/.276/.262 in 2024.
Harris’ second go-around went much better. He batted a very respectable .274/.349/.342 and stabilized 3B defensively. But his high batting average was partly the result of a lot of soft hits that found holes or died on the infield grass, suggesting he was probably as lucky as he was good — from average exit velo (83.3 MPH) to hard hit percentage (27.8%), Harris ranked very low. Still, his solid performance at least kept him on the map even if it didn’t put him there.
Indications point to Muncy being given first crack at claiming the 3B job out of spring training. That being said, Muncy does have a history of injuries and question marks still accompany both his bat and glove, so Harris is definitely in the mix.
Working against Harris, besides his lack of slugging at a position that usually expects more, is that he has 1 minor league option remaining. So one might expect him to open the season at AAA waiting for a chance when injury or poor performance cracks the door open.
However, Harris has a key thing going for him: he is currently the only 3Bman who profiles as a strong defender at the position. Muncy is a big “if” while for Max Schuemann and Darell Hernaiz it is not their strongest position. With the A’s really needing to embrace sinker ballers who can limit HRs at Sutter Health Park, and to emphasize infield defense, Harris probably has a pretty long leash to prove he can be at least a part-time player.
It’s a critical year for Harris because after 2026 he will likely be out of options. Do you see him as a viable every day starter? Platoon player? Back up infielder? Or is he a “nice enough story” that isn’t quite nice enough to play for a contending team?