James Harris
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At this time last season, James Harris’ future in professional baseball was murky. Harris, a 2011 compensation round selection (#60 overall) of the Tampa Bay Rays, was released by his original organization at the end of spring training after three-and-a-half disappointing seasons. A native of Oakland, Harris signed with his hometown organization shortly after his release, and reported to extended spring training without any guarantees he’d leave the Oakland A’s minor league complex. He played his way out of Arizona and put together his best season as a professional with the Class A Beloit Snappers in 2015. Impressed with Harris’ mature approach at the plate and his glove, the A’s promoted the speedy centerfielder to Triple-A for the final week of the season. Harris was one of the top performers during the A’s minor league camp this spring, and he has carried that high level of play over to the regular season with the High A Stockton Ports. In his first nine games, Harris is batting .341/.413/.561, with five extra-base hits and a 4:6 BB:K ratio. Harris won’t turn 23 until August, and he could finally be reaching the potential the Rays saw in him when he was drafted out of high school. – Melissa Lockard |