Mitch Harris
Navy Midshipmen |
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The United State Naval Academy will never
get the premier college athletes by virtue of the college’s
military connection. The next big thing in sports simply isn’t
going to head to a service school for an education unless
they have a tremendous calling to serve their country. Not
to say of course that great players can’t come from
Annapolis; Roger Staubach and David Robinson quickly come
to mind as two players who suited up for “Canoe U”,
before becoming Hall of Fame players.
The Navy baseball program has yet to have
their posterboy player break into the hardball history, but
that could soon change with senior utility player Mitch Harris.
 Harris,
a right handed hurler who can also handle a bat, became the
just the second player in program history to be selected during
the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when he
was picked in the 24th round by the Atlanta Braves last year.
He was also named the 29th-Best College Prospect for the 2008
Draft by Baseball America prior to this season. Right-handed
pitcher Joshua Fields of Georgia was the only fellow senior
named ahead of Harris. The Navy requires its cadets to serve
five years of active duty and exemptions are rare, but are
occasionally made for athletes of Harris’ ability and
will likely be granted should a prime professional opportunity
present itself.
In 2006 and 2007 Harris excelled at both
the plate and on the mound to earn All American honors both
seasons. As a sophomore Harris won the Patriot League Pitching
Triple Crown, going 10-3 with a 1.74 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
Armed with 90’s fastball and an increasingly deceptive
curve ball, Harris was one of only six pitchers in the nation
to rank among the top-35 in wins (34th), ERA (ninth) and strikeouts
per nine innings (fourth). Other pitchers included in that
sensation half dozen were Dick Howser Trophy winner and number
four overall draft pick Brad Lincoln, and number ten overall
draft selection Tim Lincecum, who now pitches for the San
Francisco Giants. Offensively, Harris tied for the team lead
in batting average at .333 (50-for-150) and hit nine doubles,
two triples and one home run.
Harris dazzled once again last year, going
8-5 with a 2.14 ERA and a Patriot League-record 119 strikeouts
in just 88.1 innings. At he plate batted .293 (51-for-174)
with and led the Midshipmen in doubles (10), triples (four),
home runs (eight), RBI (47) and slugging percentage (.534).
His homerun total also paced the Patriot League. Harris spent
the summer playing for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League,
where he complied a 3.94 ERA in 29.2 innings with 25 strikeouts
in seven starts in the esteemed amateur league.
Harris has continued to impress this season.
In four starts he’s gone 2-1 with a 1.27 ERA. In 21.1
innings Harris has allowed just 17 hits and only issued four
walks while striking out 21. As a designated hitter Harris
is batting .284 with six doubles, three triples and five homeruns
for a .549 slugging percentage. Earlier this season he became
the first player in Navy history to hit a home run in three-straight
games twice during his career. He was named the Patriot League
Player of the Week for the accomplishment, the sixth time
of his career he has received the honor.
Midshipmen head coach Paul Kostacopoulos
recently said of his star player, “Mitch is an exceptional
athlete that does some things that sometimes doesn’t
show up in the box score… He’s always fighting
out there – you need a guy like that.”
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